Semiconductor device

• US 9,722,598 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai L
• Application Number:
  US14/806,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48472 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area also being a wedge bond, i.e. wedge-to-wedge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49113 the connectors connecting different bonding areas on the semiconductor or solid-state body to a common bonding area outside the body, e.g. converging wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/487 Neutral point clamped inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/497 sinusoidal output voltages being obtained by combination of several voltages being out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/567 Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT

Abstract

A semiconductor device, according to one possible configuration, includes switching circuits, each switching circuit comprising IGBT chips connected in series and clamping diodes. The semiconductor device also includes a first and a second wiring line and auxiliary emitter lines. The first wiring line and a first auxiliary emitter line connect the emitter terminals of IGBT chips of the first and second switching circuits. The second wiring line and another auxiliary emitter line connect the emitter terminals of the third IGBT chips of the first and second switching circuits. The wiring lines have a large current carrying capacity and a lower resistance value than their respectively connected auxiliary emitter line.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

at least two switching circuits connected in parallel, each of the at least two switching circuits comprising at least two switching elements connected in series and a clamping diode connected to a node between adjacent switching elements of the least two switching elements;

a base potential line, connecting auxiliary terminals of different switching circuits of the at least two switching circuits at a base potential to apply an equivalent control signal on the switching elements, that operates to deliver an equal level of potential in the parallel-connected switching circuits; and

a wiring line connecting the respective nodes of the different switching circuits, having a current carrying capacity approximately equal to a rated current of at least one of the switching elements connected to the wiring line, and having a lower resistance value than that of the base potential line.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two switching circuits are mounted on circuit patterns formed on individual insulated circuit boards, and the wiring line connects the circuit patterns forming the nodes on the adjacent insulated circuit boards.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the switching elements connected to the wiring line is an IGBT chip and the wiring line connects emitter terminals of the IGBT chips at a high potential side of series-connected IGBT chips.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring line has a resistance value not larger than 0.1 ohm.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least two switching circuits comprises

a first switching circuit comprising a first IGBT and a second IGBT connected in series with each other, the first IGBT and the second IGBT each antiparallel-connected to a respective diode, and

a second switching circuit connected in parallel to the first switching circuit and comprising a third IGBT and a fourth IGBT connected in series with each other, the third IGBT and the fourth IGBT each antiparallel-connected to a respective diode,

the base potential line connects between an emitter of the first IGBT and an emitter of the third IGBT, and

the wiring line connects between an emitter of the first IGBT and an emitter of the third IGBT and has a current carrying capacity approximately equal to a rated current of the first IGBT and the third IGBT.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a common gate terminal connected to respective gate terminals of the different switching circuits and to a gate terminal of a second of the different switching circuits; and

a common auxiliary emitter terminal to apply the base potential for the common gate terminal,

wherein the common auxiliary emitter terminal is connected to the base potential line.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a one-phase inverter circuit.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

at least two switching circuits connected in parallel, each of the at least two switching circuit comprising at least two IGBT chips connected in series and a clamping diode connected to a node between adjacent IGBT chips of the at least two IGBT chips; and

an auxiliary emitter line that connects auxiliary emitter terminals of the IGBT chips of different switching circuits of the at least two switching circuits at a high potential side of the series-connected IGBT chips in the parallel-connected switching circuits, and that has a current carrying capacity approximately equal to a rated current of at least one of the IGBT chips connected to the auxiliary emitter line.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the auxiliary emitter line has a resistance value not larger than 0.1 ohm.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor device is a one-phase inverter circuit.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the at least two switching circuits are mounted on circuit patterns formed on individual insulated circuit boards, and the auxiliary emitter line connects the circuit patterns forming the nodes on the adjacent insulated circuit boards.

12. A semiconductor device comprising:

at least two switching circuits connected in parallel, each of the at least two switching circuit comprising at least two IGBT chips connected in series and a clamping diode connected to a node between adjacent IGBT chips of the at least two IGBT chips;

a base potential line, connecting auxiliary emitter terminals of the IGBT chips of different switching circuits of the at least two switching circuits, that operates to deliver an equal level of potential in the parallel-connected switching circuits; and

a wiring line connecting the respective nodes of the different switching circuits, having a current carrying capacity approximately equal to a rated current of the at least one of the IGBT chips connected to the wiring line, and having a lower resistance value than that of the base potential line.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a common gate terminal connected to respective gates of the IGBT chips of the different switching circuits; and

a common auxiliary emitter terminal to apply the base potential for the common gate terminal,

wherein the common auxiliary emitter terminal is connected to the base potential line.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a common gate terminal connected to respective gates of the IGBT chips of the different switching circuits; and

a common auxiliary emitter terminal to apply the base potential for the common gate terminal,

wherein the auxiliary emitter line connects the auxiliary emitter terminals of the IGBT chips of the different switching circuits to the common auxiliary emitter terminal.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the wiring line has a resistance value not larger than 0.1 ohm.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the semiconductor device is a one-phase inverter circuit.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the at least two IGBT chips are mounted on circuit patterns formed on individual insulated circuit boards, and the wiring line connects the circuit patterns forming the nodes on the adjacent insulated circuit boards.