Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Regenerative type switching device – With extended latchup current level
Patent
1997-03-21
1999-07-13
Fahmy, Wael M.
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Regenerative type switching device
With extended latchup current level
257152, 257153, H01L 2974, H01L 31111
Patent
active
059230550
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an anode-side actuated semiconductor component, for which the semiconductor element has a plurality of side-by-side arranged, parallel connected unit cells with thyristor structure, and to bidirectional semiconductor switches with such an anode-side actuated semiconductor component.
Bidirectional semiconductor components, which can be switched on and, if possible, also switched off by a control signal in both polarity directions of the main electrodes are highly advantageous for alternating current uses. A frequently used component of this type is the Triac, which comprises two antiparallel-arranged thyristor structures and can be switched on through gate current, independent of the polarity sign of the voltage that is present. The Triac cannot be switched off via the gate, but only through a polarity reversal of the main electrodes.
A component, which can be switched on as well as off by a MOS gate in both polarity directions was described in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. ED-27 (1980), pp 380-87. This so-called TRIMOS (MOS-Triac) is a lateral component, comprising two DMOS transistors in a laterally reversed arrangement, for which the gate electrodes are mutually connected. The voltage range is limited in this case by the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide and typically only extends to about 50 V. If the gate electrodes are separated and actuated individually, voltages of up to 300 V can be reached. It is favorably in this case that the component functions at higher currents like an IGBT, so that the on-resistance is reduced through conductivity modulation. However, advantages during the actuation are lost again when separating the gate electrodes.
A bilaterally switching component with thyristor structure and lateral layout, which is referred to as BEST (bilateral emitter switched thyristor), was presented at the International Electron Device Meeting IEDM 1992 (IEDM'92 Conference Volume, pp 249-252). The blocking capacity of the component was less than 70 V. The characteristics are comparable to those of the TRIMOS. Not only the voltage range, but also the switchable current is narrowly limited as a result of the lateral layout of these switching elements. A separate MOS gate is provided for switching on and switching off in each current direction, which is actuated by the cathode electrode of the respective current direction. This is a disadvantage because of the expenditure for the driver electronics. Such a concept is not suitable for vertical bidirectional components.
The standard power components such as the MOSFET, the insulated gate bipolar transistor or IGBT, the normal bipolar transistor and the (GTO) thyristor are actuated from the cathode and require a positive control voltage for the switching on. For a bidirectional switch, which referred to a (relatively small) gate signal can be switched to a fixed main electrode, an anode-side actuated components is necessary in addition to the standard cathode-side actuated component. By exchanging n- and p-conductivity type in the various semiconductor zones, anode-side actuated components are obtained from the aforementioned standard structures. However, these have the disadvantage is that they cannot be integrated together with the standard ones, among other things because the weakly doped base for absorbing the voltage has the reversed conductivity type, namely p-conductivity. A second disadvantage of this anode-side actuated component is that the gate signal must have a polarity for the switching that is the reverse of the normal one: a negative voltage at the gate is necessary for switching on. A bidirectional switch with such individual components thus requires control signals for the switching on and off, which depend on the current direction, so that the control signal changes, among other things, for the zero passage of the current. A very involved driver electronics is consequently required.
A MOS-controlled thyristor was suggested in the German Patent Application P 44 02 877
REFERENCES:
patent: 5194394 (1993-03-01), Terashima
patent: 5298769 (1994-03-01), Omura et al.
C. Braun: "Circuit-Level Modelling of MOS Controlled thyristors". In: IEEE 1990 Power Modulator Symposium, Jun. 1990, San Diego, USA, pp. 436-440.
Bodensohn Alexander
Fuellmann Marius
Korec Jacek
Schlangenotto Heinrich
Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft
Fahmy Wael M.
Kunitz Norman N.
Spencer George H.
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