Gate driving circuit and semiconductor device

• US 7,068,082 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, My-Trang Nu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep
• Application Number:
  US10/683,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 327/427, 327/430, 327/432, 327/433, 327/434, 327/483
• US Class Current: 327/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0406 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches

Abstract

A gate driving circuit according to the present invention having, an output circuit which is connected to a first power supply terminal and a ground terminal and, upon receiving an ON/OFF signal, changes a level of a gate output terminal between a power supply voltage and a ground voltage, a shunt switching element which is connected between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal and is ON/OFF-controlled upon receiving a shunt control signal, and an output shunt control circuit which monitors the level of the gate output terminal and outputs the shunt control signal, wherein when the level of the gate output terminal decreases to not more than a first threshold value, the output shunt control circuit turns on the shunt switching element, and while the level is not more than a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value, the output shunt control circuit supplies the shunt control signal to said shunt switching element to maintain an ON state of the shunt switching element.

Claims

1. A gate driving circuit comprising:

an output circuit which is connected to a first power supply terminal and a ground terminal and, upon receiving an ON/OFF signal, changes a level of a gate output terminal between a power supply voltage and a ground voltage;

a shunt switching element which is connected between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal and is ON/OFF-controlled upon receiving a shunt control signal; and

an output shunt control circuit which monitors the level of the gate output terminal and outputs the shunt control signal,

wherein said output shunt control circuit comprises;

a threshold value setting circuit which has first and second P-channel transistors whose sources and drains are connected in series between a second power supply terminal and a first node, and first and second N-channel transistors whose drains and sources are connected in series between the first node and the ground terminal,

a third P-channel transistor whose source and drain are connected in series between a third power supply terminal and a second node, and a third N-channel transistor whose drain and source are connected in series between the second node and the ground terminal, and

a third resistor connected in series between the second node and the first node,

wherein a gate of said first P-channel transistor and a gate of said first N-channel transistor are connected to the gate output terminal, a signal having a logic opposite to that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said second P-channel transistor and a gate of said second N-channel transistor, a signal having the same logic as that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said third P-channel transistor and a gate of said third N-channel transistor, and a monitor signal is output from the first node, and a logic circuit which executes logic calculation upon receiving the monitor signal and the ON/OFF signal and outputs the shunt control signal.

2. A circuit according to claim 1, wherein said logic circuit comprises,

an inverter which receives the monitor signal, inverts the monitor signal, and outputs the inverted monitor signal, and

a NOR circuit which receives an output from said inverter and the ON/OFF signal, executes NOR calculation, and outputs the shunt control signal.

3. A circuit according to claim 1, when the ON/OFF signal indicates OFF, said logic circuit outputs the shunt control signal that represents a logic based on the monitor signal.

4. A circuit according to claim 1, wherein said output circuit comprises,

a first switching element and a first resistor, which are connected in series between the first power supply terminal and the gate output terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal, and

a second switching element and a second resistor, which are connected in series between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal.

5. A semiconductor device comprising:

a high-side switching element having one terminal connected to a first power supply terminal and the other terminal connected to an output terminal to which a load can be connected;

a low-side switching element having one terminal connected to the output terminal and the other terminal connected to a ground terminal; and

a gate driving circuit which outputs a gate output from a gate output terminal to ON/OFF-control said low-side switching element, wherein said gate driving circuit comprises

an output circuit which is connected to a second power supply terminal and a ground terminal and, upon receiving an ON/OFF signal, changes a level of a gate output terminal between a power supply voltage and a ground voltage,

a shunt switching element which is connected between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal and is ON/OFF-controlled upon receiving a shunt control signal, and

an output shunt control circuit which monitors the level of the gate output terminal and outputs the shunt control signal, and

when the level of the gate output terminal decreases to not more than a first threshold value higher than ground level, said output shunt control circuit turns on said shunt switching element, and after turning on said shunt switching element to be in an ON-state and while the level is not more than a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value, said output shunt control circuit supplies the shunt control signal to said shunt switching element to maintain an ON state of the shunt switching element,

wherein said output shunt control circuit comprises

a threshold value setting circuit which has first and second P-channel transistors whose sources and drains are connected in series between a third power supply terminal and a first node, and first and second N-channel transistors whose drains and sources are connected in series between the first node and the ground terminal,

a third P-channel transistor whose source and drain are connected in series between a fourth power supply terminal and a second node, and a third N-channel transistor whose drain and source are connected in series between the second node and the ground terminal, and

a third resistor connected in series between the second node and the first node,

wherein a gate of said first P-channel transistor and a gate of said first N-channel transistor are connected to the gate output terminal, a signal having a logic opposite to that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said second P-channel transistor and a gate of said second N-channel transistor, a signal having the same logic as that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said third P-channel transistor and a gate of said third N-channel transistor, and a monitor signal obtained by comparing the level of the gate output terminal with one of the first and second threshold values is output from the first node, and

a logic circuit which executes logic calculation upon receiving the monitor signal and the ON/OFF signal and outputs the shunt control signal.

7. A circuit according to claim 5 wherein said logic circuit comprises,

an inverter which receives the monitor signal, inverts the monitor signal, and outputs the inverted monitor signal, and

a NOR circuit which receives an output from said inverter and the ON/OFF signal,

executes NOR calculation, and outputs the shunt control signal.

8. A circuit according to claim 5 when the ON/OFF signal indicates OFF, said logic circuit outputs the shunt control signal that represents a logic based on the monitor signal.

9. A circuit according to claim 5 wherein said output circuit comprises,

a first switching element and a first resistor, which are connected in series between the first power supply terminal and the gate output terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal, and

a second switching element and a second resistor, which are connected in series between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal.

10. A semiconductor device comprising:

a high-side switching element having one terminal connected to a first power supply terminal and the other terminal connected to an output terminal to which a load can be connected;

a low-side switching element having one terminal connected to the output terminal and the other terminal connected to a ground terminal; and

a gate driving circuit which outputs a gate output from a gate output terminal to ON/OFF-control said low-side switching element,

wherein said gate driving circuit comprises

an output circuit which is connected to a second power supply terminal and a ground terminal and, upon receiving an ON/OFF signal, changes a level of a gate output terminal between a power supply voltage and a ground voltage,

a shunt switching element which is connected between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal and is ON/OFF-controlled upon receiving a shunt control signal, and

an output shunt control circuit which monitors the level of the gate output terminal and outputs the shunt control signal, and

said output shunt control circuit comprises

a threshold value setting circuit which has first and second P-channel transistors whose sources and drains are connected in series between a third power supply terminal and a first node, and first and second N-channel transistors whose drains and sources are connected in series between the first node and the ground terminal,

a third P-channel transistor whose source and drain are connected in series between a fourth power supply terminal and a second node, and a third N-channel transistor whose drain and source are connected in series between the second node and the ground terminal, and

a third resistor connected in series between the second node and the first node,

wherein a gate of said first P-channel transistor and a gate of said first N-channel transistor are connected to the gate output terminal, a signal having a logic opposite to that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said second P-channel transistor and a gate of said second N-channel transistor, a signal having the same logic as that of the shunt control signal is supplied to a gate of said third P-channel transistor and a gate of said third N-channel transistor, and a monitor signal is output from the first node, and

a logic circuit which executes logic calculation upon receiving the monitor signal and the ON/OFF signal and outputs the shunt control signal.

6. A device according to claim 11, wherein said output circuit comprises

a first switching element and a first resistor, which are connected in series between the first power supply terminal and the gate output terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal, and

a second switching element and a second resistor, which are connected in series between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal, and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal.

11. A circuit according to claim 10 wherein said logic circuit comprises,

an inverter which receives the monitor signal, inverts the monitor signal, and outputs the inverted monitor signal, and

a NOR circuit which receives an output from said inverter and the ON/OFF signal,

executes NOR calculation, and outputs the shunt control signal.

12. A circuit according to claim 10 when the ON/OFF signal indicates OFF, said logic circuit outputs the shunt control signal that represents a logic based on the monitor signal.

13. A circuit according to claim 10 wherein said output circuit comprises,

a first switching element and a first resistor, which are connected in series between the first power supply terminal and the gate output terminal and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal, and

a second switching element and a second resistor, which are connected in series between the gate output terminal and the ground terminal and controlled upon receiving the ON/OFF signal.