The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 28, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 13, 1998
Ichiro Omura, Yokohama, JP;
Wolfgang Fichtner, Zurich, SE;
Hiromichi Ohashi, Yokohama, JP;
Tsuneo Ogura, Kamakaura, JP;
Hideaki Ninomiya, Yokohama, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
Disclosed is a semiconductor device capable of stabilizing a gate voltage at high voltage and high current, protecting the device from breakdown by preventing current nonuniformity and oscillations and the like, thereby improving reliability, and a method for controlling the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises an n-type base layer, a p-type emitter layer, which is formed on a surface of the n-type base layer, a collector electrode, formed on a surface of the p-type emitter layer, a p-type base layer, formed on a surface on the n-type base layer which is opposite to the p-type emitter layer, an n-type source layer, formed in a surface of the p-type base layer, an emitter electrode, formed on the n-type source layer and the p-type base layer, and a gate electrode, contacting the n-type source layer, the p-type base layer and the n-type base layer, with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween, wherein when a voltage is applied between the collector electrode and the emitter electrode, the capacitance of the gate electrode is always a positive value or zero.