Renesas Electronics Corporation

Nec Electronics Corporation

Nec Corporation

Akihiro Nakahara

Makoto Tanaka

Nobuya Koike

Sakae Nakajima

Akira Uemura

Osamu Soma

Tatsuaki Tsukuda

Keita Takada

Akio Tamagawa

Osamu Souma

Naohiro Yoshimura

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes a wiring substrate, the wiring substrate having a first wiring connected to a first external terminal and a second wiring connected to a second external terminal and extending along the first wiring. Additionally, the above electronic device has a semiconductor device mounted on the above wiring substrate and electrically connected to each of the first and second wirings. Further, the above electronic device has a capacitor mounted on the above wiring substrate and electrically connected to the semiconductor device via each of the above first and second wirings. Furthermore, a distance between the above semiconductor device and capacitor is shorter than a distance between each of the above first and second external terminals and the above capacitor.

Electronic device

A semiconductor integrated power device including: an output transistor configured to drive an external load element; a temperature detection circuit configured to: output a first detection signal in reference to a temperature difference between a temperature of the output transistor and an ambient temperature; and output a second detection signal in reference to a temperature difference between a temperature of the output transistor and a first reference temperature; and a current limiter circuit configured to limit a current flowing through the output transistor according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal. The temperature detection circuit activates and inactivates the first detection signal or the second detection signal based on an output of a first hysteresis circuit.

Semiconductor device, and on-vehicle electronic device and automobile each including the semiconductor device

A semiconductor device according to related art has a problem that a clamp voltage that clamps an output voltage cannot adaptively vary in accordance with a power supply voltage, and it is thus not possible to reduce heating of a semiconductor chip to a sufficiently low level. According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a drive circuit () that controls on and off of an output transistor () and an overvoltage protection circuit () that controls a conductive state of the output transistor () when an output voltage Vout reaches a clamp voltage, and the overvoltage protection circuit () has a circuit structure that sets the clamp voltage to vary in proportion to a power supply voltage VDD.

Semiconductor device

Provided are an input buffer, a semiconductor device and an engine control unit making it possible to execute fault diagnosis in real time. The input buffer includes a first comparator which compares a voltage of an input signal with a first reference voltage, a hysteresis circuit which generates a first high voltage side or low voltage side reference voltage on the basis of a comparison result from the first comparator, a second comparator which compares the voltage of the input signal with a second reference voltage, and a hysteresis circuit which outputs a second high voltage side reference voltage which is higher than the first high voltage side reference voltage or a second low voltage side reference voltage which is lower than the first low voltage side reference voltage.

Input buffer, semiconductor device and engine control unit

A power MOSFET and a sense MOSFET for detecting a current of the power MOSFET are formed in a semiconductor chip, and a source pad and a Kelvin pad are formed of a source electrode for the power MOSFET. The source pad is a pad for outputting the current flowing to the power MOSFET, and the Kelvin pad is a pad for detecting a source potential of the power MOSFET. The source electrode has a slit, and at least a part of the slit is arranged between the source pad and the Kelvin pad when seen in a plan view.

A load driving method includes bringing an output transistor disposed between a first power supply line and an output terminal connected to a load into a conduction state by a protection transistor provided between a gate of the output transistor and a second power supply line when a polarity of a power supply coupled between the first power supply line and the second power supply lines is reversed, and forming a conductive path between the second power supply line and a back gate of the protection transistor via a transistor by a back gate control circuit when the polarity of the power supply is normal, the back gate control circuit including the transistor, a gate of the transistor being coupled to the first power supply line directly via a connection node located in a connecting line that couples the first power supply line and the output transistor, the transistor being coupled between the second power supply line and the back gate of the protection transistor.

Load driving device

A load driving deviceincludes a temperature detector TDthat sets a temperature difference detection signal dt_ot to active when a temperature difference Tdif between a temperature Ttr of an output transistor Tand an ambient temperature becomes more than a reference temperature difference Tdref, and sets an over temperature detection signal at_ot to active when the temperature Ttr of the output transistor Tbecomes higher than a reference temperature Tref, a current limiter ILthat limits a GS current of the output transistor Twhen any one of the detection signals becomes active, and the output transistor Tthat turns off regardless of an external input signal IN when any one of the detection signals becomes active. The temperature detector TDsets the temperature difference detection signal dt_ot to inactive when the temperature difference Tdif between the output transistor temperature Ttr and the ambient temperature becomes equal to or less than a reference temperature difference Tdref, and sets the over temperature detection signal at_ot to inactive when the output transistor temperature Ttr becomes equal to or lower than a reference temperature Tref

Semiconductor device, and on-vehicle electronic device and automobile each including semiconductor device

A semiconductor device includes: an output transistor; and a current detection section. The output transistor controls electric power supply from an electric power source to a load. The current detection section detects a current flowing through the output transistor. The current detection section has a current detection characteristic in which a current detection value has approximately linier and negative dependence on a drain-source voltage of the output transistor.

Semiconductor device and electric control device

A power semiconductor device includes an output transistor, a control circuit connected with a gate of the output transistor, a first discharge route from a first node to a ground terminal, and a second discharge route from the first node to the ground terminal. In a usual turn-off, only the first discharge route is used. When a load abnormality occurs, both of the first and second discharge routes are used. The second discharge route contains a discharge transistor and a countercurrent prevention device. The discharge transistor is connected between the first node and the second node. The countercurrent prevention device prevents a flow of current from the third node to the second node. At least, in an OFF period, the control circuit sets the gate voltage of the discharge transistor to a high level.

Power semiconductor device

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is a current limiting circuit including: an output transistor that controls a current flowing to a load from a power supply; a current sense transistor through which a current dependent on a current flowing through the output transistor flows; a sense resistor connected in series with the current sense transistor; a potential difference detection unit that detects a potential difference generated between both ends of the sense resistor; a constant current generation unit that supplies a constant current to the potential difference detection unit; and a control unit that controls a conduction state of the output transistor based on a control voltage generated based on the potential difference and the constant current, in which the sense resistor is disposed so as to surround the potential difference detection unit.

Current limiting circuit

A load driving device according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes: an output transistor coupled between a first power supply line and an output terminal, the output terminal being configured to be coupled with a load; a protection transistor that is provided between a gate of the output transistor and a second power supply line, and brings the output transistor into a conduction state when a polarity of a power supply coupled between the first power supply line and the second power supply line is reversed; and a back gate control circuit that controls the second power supply line and a back gate of the protection transistor to be brought into a conduction state in a standby mode when the polarity of the power supply is normal.

A comparator circuit, includes a first power source terminal having a first potential, a second power source terminal having a second potential different from the first potential, a detection voltage terminal, a reference voltage generator coupled between the first power source terminal and the second power source terminal, the reference voltage generator generating a middle potential which is a potential between the first potential and the second potential and outputting the middle potential at a middle potential node, the reference voltage generator further generating a reference voltage, a bias unit coupled between the first power source terminal and the middle potential node, the bias unit receiving the reference voltage and generating a corresponding reference voltage by using the first potential and the middle potential as energy sources thereof, and a comparator unit coupled between the first and second power source terminals and the detection voltage terminal.

Comparator circuit

A comparator includes a first potential supply terminal, a second potential supply terminal supplying a different potential from that of the first potential supply terminal, a first transistor of a first conductivity type coupled between the first potential supply terminal and a first node, and including a control terminal coupled to a first terminal, a second transistor of the first conductivity type coupled between the first potential supply terminal and a second node, and including a control terminal coupled to a second terminal, a third transistor of a second conductivity type coupled between the first node and a third terminal, and including a control terminal coupled to the second node, and a fourth transistor of the second conductivity type coupled between the second node and the second potential supply terminal, and including a control terminal coupled to the second node.

Power supply control apparatus including overcurrent detection circuit

A load driving device according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes: an output transistor coupled between a first power supply line and an output terminal; the output terminal being configured to be coupled with a load; a driver circuit that controls conduction/non-conduction of the output transistor; a compensation transistor that is coupled between the output terminal and a second power supply line, and becomes conductive when the driver circuit renders the output transistor non-conductive and when a potential of the second power supply line reaches a predetermined value or greater, to maintain a non-conduction state of the output transistor; and a first resistor coupled between the second power supply line and a back gate of the compensation transistor.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Akihiro Nakahara