Integrated overload protective device

• US 5,969,927 A
• Filed: 10/23/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Werner, Frank, Raub, Hans, Schirmer, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): Leja, Ronald W.
• Application Number:
  US08/956,834
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 361/57, 361/88, 361/89, 361/93, 361/94, 361/103, 361/97-101, 330/289, 327/513, 232/313-317, 232/907
• US Class Current: 361/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An overload protective device for integrated components that responds rapidly to transient local temperature increases to protect the respective component from overload or overheating. The protective device includes an ohmic measuring resistor made of metal, aluminum in particular, that is integrated into the component. Temperature increases and power loss in individual transistor cells can thus be detected reliably.

Claims

1. An overload protective device, comprising:

an integrated component;

a temperature sensor including an ohmic measuring resistor, the ohmic measuring resistor being integrated into the integrated component and being electrically insulated;

an oxide interlayer; and

a gate layer of a MOS power transistor, the MOS power transistor including transistor cells,

wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is arranged on the gate layer and is insulated from the gate layer by the oxide interlayer, the ohmic measuring resistor being arranged in a meandering pattern around rows of the transistor cells, and

wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is arranged between the gate layer and a metal layer, the metal layer being a source terminal for source regions.

2. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor includes a metal strip arranged in a strip pattern.

3. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is arranged at a predetermined distance from a thermally stressed semiconductor region, the predetermined distance being less than five micrometers.

4. The protective device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one analyzer circuit having a reference voltage, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor has a voltage drop corresponding to a thermal stress on the integrated component, the voltage drop being comparable with the reference voltage; and

a cut-off transistor cutting off a heat-producing current flow flowing through the integrated component conducting when the heat-producing current flow generates a reference value corresponding the reference voltage,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit includes a reference resistor usable as a joint component of the at least one analyzer circuit,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit is assigned to at least one of the integrated component and a further component, and is manufactured with a first tolerance, and

wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is manufactured with a second tolerance, the second tolerance being equal to the first tolerance.

5. The protective device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one analyzer circuit is integrated into the integrated component.

6. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the integrated component includes a DMOS power transistor.

7. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is composed of an aluminum material.

8. An overload protective device comprising:

an integrated component;

a temperature sensor including an ohmic measuring resistor, the ohmic measuring resistor being integrated into the integrated component and being electrically insulated;

at least one analyzer circuit having a reference voltage, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor has a voltage drop corresponding to a thermal stress on the integrated component, the voltage drop being comparable with the reference voltage;

a cut-off transistor cutting off a heat-producing current flow flowing through the integrated component conducting when the heat-producing current flow generates a reference value corresponding the reference voltage,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit includes a reference resistor usable as a joint component of the at least one analyzer circuit,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit is assigned to at least one of the integrated component and a further component, and is manufactured with a first tolerance,

wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is manufactured with a second tolerance, the second tolerance being equal to the first tolerance, and

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit includes a reference transistor configured as a transistor diode and a control transistor,

a transistor diode current source arranged with the transistor diode and the control transistor to form a current mirror;

a reference current source coupled in parallel with the transistor diode current source and the transistor diode, the transistor diode including an emitter coupled to a ground via the reference resistor;

a control current source coupled between a collector of the control transistor and a positive pole of a voltage source;

a measuring current source coupled in parallel with a series connection of the control current source and the control transistor; and

a drive circuit,

wherein an emitter of the control transistor is coupled to the ground via the measuring resistor, the collector of the control transistor being coupled to a gate terminal of the cut-off transistor, and

wherein the cut-off transistor is configured as an n-channel MOSFET transistor, the cut-off transistor having a source terminal coupled to the ground, and having a drain terminal coupled to a control input of the integrated component, the control input of the integrated component being coupled to the positive pole of the voltage source via the drive circuit.

9. An overload protective device comprising:

an integrated component;

a temperature sensor including an ohmic measuring resistor, the ohmic measuring resistor being integrated into the integrated component and being electrically insulated;

at least one analyzer circuit having a reference voltage, wherein the ohmic measuring resistor has a voltage drop corresponding to a thermal stress on the integrated component, the voltage drop being comparable with the reference voltage;

a cut-off transistor cutting off a heat-producing current flow flowing through the integrated component conducting when the heat-producing current flow generates a reference value corresponding the reference voltage,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit includes a reference resistor usable as a joint component of the at least one analyzer circuit,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit is assigned to at least one of the integrated component and a further component and is manufactured with a first tolerance,

wherein the ohmic measuring resistor is manufactured with a second tolerance, the second tolerance being equal to the first tolerance,

wherein the at least one analyzer circuit includes a circuit component, a current mirror bank and a comparator, the current mirror bank including a bank input and at least one bank output, the bank input receiving a substantially temperature-independent current from the circuit component in an inverse proportion to the reference resistor,

wherein the temperature-independent current is provided over the at least one bank output to a current path coupled to the ohmic measuring resistor, the voltage drop at the ohmic measuring resistor being provided to a first input port of the comparator, the reference voltage being provided to a second input port of the comparator, and

wherein the cut-off transistor is controlled by using an output signal of the comparator.

10. The protective device according to claim 9,

wherein the circuit component includes a ring current source having an output current path, and

wherein the reference resistor and a compensation resistor are coupled in series and are situated in the output current path.

11. The protective device according to claim 9, wherein the comparator includes two transistors wired as current mirror devices, the two transistors being coupled to two further outputs of the current mirror bank.

12. The protective device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a linear voltage divider determining the reference voltage.