Discrete semiconductor circuit and power electronic device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a discrete semiconductor circuit, including a processor and a semiconductor working unit; the semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device, a gate drive power supply, a thermistor, a voltage divider resistor and an electrical signal detection component; the voltage divider resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply to form a closed loop; the KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device is connected between the thermistor and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply; the electrical signal detection component is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor; the processor is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device according to the temperature electrical signal. The present invention realizes the temperature measurement of a single discrete packaged semiconductor device and greatly improves the measurement accuracy. The present invention also provides a power electronic device with the above advantages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor circuits, and in particular to a discrete semiconductor circuit and a power electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor devices need to work stably within a certain temperature range, which makes temperature detection an important monitoring indicator for semiconductor devices. At present, in the power electronic device package, only the power module provides temperature detection function. The common practice is to solder thermistors on the copper substrate DCB. In addition, only one thermistor NTC is placed in a power module. This centralized temperature detection method has different distances from the NTC to each heat source (i.e., the heat-generating semiconductor chip) (e.g., Figure 1 As shown in Figure 2, a large number of experiments are required to determine a complex junction temperature estimation model to implement temperature detection. In addition, the main path for heat conduction from the semiconductor junction to the NTC is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the heat is first conducted downward to the metal substrate, then diffuses to the bottom of the NTC on the metal substrate, and then conducts upward to the NTC. The entire heat flow conduction path passes through multiple material interfaces, and excessive heat dissipation in the middle further reduces the accuracy of junction temperature detection.

[0003] As for discrete semiconductor packaged devices, due to the number of pins and cost, discrete power semiconductor devices usually do not include temperature detection function. In actual use, similar to the above-mentioned power module, the NTC is installed on a heat sink shared by multiple discrete power semiconductor devices, and the junction temperature is inferred by detecting the temperature of the heat sink. It can be seen that this method is still a centralized temperature detection method. Due to the exposure of multiple discrete power semiconductor devices (heat sources), the working environment is not even as stable as the power module, and the accuracy of temperature detection is further reduced.

[0004] In summary, how to solve the problem in the prior art that a single discrete semiconductor device cannot be measured at temperature and the temperature measurement accuracy is low is an urgent task for those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a discrete semiconductor circuit and a power electronic device to solve the problem in the prior art that the temperature of a single discrete semiconductor device cannot be measured and the temperature measurement accuracy is low.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a discrete semiconductor circuit, including a processor and a semiconductor working unit;

[0007] The semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device, a gate drive power supply, a thermistor, a voltage divider resistor and an electrical signal detection component;

[0008] The voltage dividing resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at two ends of the gate driving power supply to form a closed loop;

[0009] The KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device is connected between the thermistor and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply;

[0010] The electrical signal detection component is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor;

[0011] The processor is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device according to the temperature electrical signal.

[0012] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the electrical signal detection component is a voltage detection component;

[0013] The voltage component is connected to two ends of the thermistor and is used to detect the voltage value of the thermistor.

[0014] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the voltage divider resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply to form a closed loop including:

[0015] The positive electrode of the gate driving power supply is connected to the first end of the voltage dividing resistor, the second end of the voltage dividing resistor is connected to the first end of the thermistor, and the second end of the thermistor is connected to the negative electrode of the gate driving power supply.

[0016] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, when the discrete packaged semiconductor device is a MOSFET, the KELVIN pin is connected to a source region of the MOSFET;

[0017] When the discrete packaged semiconductor device is the IGBT or the triode, the KELVIN pin is connected to the emitter region of the IGBT or the triode.

[0018] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the KELVIN pin is directly connected to a corresponding area in the discrete packaged semiconductor device through a binding wire.

[0019] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the voltage-dividing resistor is a high-precision resistor.

[0020] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the discrete packaged semiconductor device is a TO247 package.

[0021] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the processor is a gate driver chip corresponding to the gate driver power supply.

[0022] Optionally, in the discrete semiconductor circuit, the discrete semiconductor circuit includes a plurality of semiconductor working units; the semiconductor working unit further includes an isolator;

[0023] The processor obtains temperature information of discrete packaged semiconductor devices corresponding to the plurality of semiconductor working units respectively through the plurality of isolators.

[0024] A power electronic device comprises any discrete semiconductor circuit as described above.

[0025] The discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention comprises a processor and a semiconductor working unit; the semiconductor working unit comprises a discrete packaged semiconductor device, a gate drive power supply, a thermistor, a voltage divider resistor and an electrical signal detection component; the voltage divider resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply to form a closed loop; the KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device is connected between the thermistor and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply; the electrical signal detection component is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor; the processor is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device according to the temperature electrical signal.

[0026] The present invention drives the closed loop by using the gate drive power supply corresponding to the discrete packaged semiconductor device, and at the same time, directly guides the heat energy of the semiconductor package device to the thermistor using the KELVIN pin, so that the difference between the temperature of the thermistor and the temperature of the discrete packaged semiconductor is further reduced. At this time, by obtaining the electrical signal of the closed loop, the resistance change of the thermistor can be known, and then the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device with high precision can be obtained, so as to realize the temperature measurement of a single discrete packaged semiconductor device and greatly improve the measurement accuracy. The present invention also provides a power electronic device with the above-mentioned beneficial effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of centralized temperature detection in the prior art;

[0029] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of heat transfer from semiconductor to NTC in the prior art;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a specific implementation of a discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of another specific implementation of a discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of another specific implementation manner of the discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Power semiconductor devices are the core components of power electronics technology. Whether it is silicon-based power semiconductor devices, silicon carbide-based power semiconductor devices, or gallium nitride-based power semiconductor devices, during their use, the junction temperature of their semiconductor junctions (PN Junction) must be kept below a certain value to ensure their semiconductor characteristics. The maximum junction temperature of silicon-based devices is 175 degrees Celsius, and the maximum junction temperature of silicon carbide-based devices can exceed 200 degrees Celsius. Therefore, in power electronic converters, real-time detection of junction temperature can be used to use active heat dissipation technology to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the heat dissipation system when the junction temperature rises significantly; or when the junction temperature exceeds the set value, the power electronic converter is stopped. Therefore, real-time detection of the junction temperature of power semiconductor devices is a necessary function in various power electronic converters, and it is also an important means to improve the reliability of power electronic converters.

[0034] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The core of the present invention is to provide a discrete semiconductor circuit, a structural schematic diagram of a specific implementation method thereof is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, it is called specific implementation mode 1, including a processor 100 and a semiconductor working unit;

[0036] The semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, a gate drive power supply 210, a thermistor 230, a voltage divider resistor 220 and an electrical signal detection component 240;

[0037] The voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at two ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop;

[0038] The KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is connected between the thermistor 230 and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply 210;

[0039] The electrical signal detection component 240 is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor 100;

[0040] The processor 100 is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 according to the temperature electrical signal.

[0041] As a specific implementation, the electrical signal detection component 240 is a voltage detection component;

[0042] The voltage component is connected to both ends of the thermistor 230 and is used to detect the voltage value of the thermistor 230. Of course, the voltage value of the voltage divider resistor 220 or the current value in the entire loop can also be detected to finally obtain the resistance value of the thermistor 230. The current temperature value of the thermistor 230 can be calculated, and the temperature of the thermistor 230 is used to represent the temperature of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250.

[0043] In addition, the present invention also provides a specific connection method of the closed loop, wherein the voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop including:

[0044] The positive electrode of the gate driving power supply 210 is connected to the first end of the voltage dividing resistor 220 , the second end of the voltage dividing resistor 220 is connected to the first end of the thermistor 230 , and the second end of the thermistor 230 is connected to the negative electrode of the gate driving power supply 210 .

[0045] It should be noted that when the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is a MOSFET, the KELVIN pin is connected to the source region of the MOSFET;

[0046] When the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is the IGBT or the triode, the KELVIN pin is connected to the emitter region of the IGBT or the triode;

[0047] Of course, the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 may be other semiconductor devices besides the above examples, and in this case, the KELVIN pin is connected to an output terminal region similar to the source region and the emitter region.

[0048] As a preferred embodiment, the KELVIN pin is directly connected to the corresponding area in the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 through a bonding wire;

[0049] The word "directly" mentioned above means that the binding wire does not pass through other media or contact other structures in the middle, but connects the corresponding area in the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 with the closed loop, and more specifically, connects to one end of the thermistor 230. This can ensure that the heat in the semiconductor heating area is directly transferred to the thermistor 230 as much as possible, so that the temperature of the thermistor 230 is kept as consistent as possible with that of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, thereby improving the measurement accuracy.

[0050] In addition, the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is a TO247 package, which has a simple structure, low cost, and occupies a small space. Of course, other packages, such as SO-8 package, may also be selected according to actual conditions.

[0051] In order to improve the measurement accuracy, the voltage divider resistor 220 may be a high-precision resistor, where the error between the nominal value and the actual measured value of the resistor does not exceed 1%.

[0052] The discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention includes a processor 100 and a semiconductor working unit; the semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, a gate drive power supply 210, a thermistor 230, a voltage divider resistor 220 and an electrical signal detection component 240; the voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop; the KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is connected between the thermistor 230 and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply 210; the electrical signal detection component 240 is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor 100; the processor 100 is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 according to the temperature electrical signal. The present invention drives the closed loop by utilizing the gate drive power supply 210 corresponding to the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, and at the same time, directly guides the heat energy of the semiconductor package device to the thermistor 230 by utilizing the KELVIN pin, so that the difference between the temperature of the thermistor 230 and the temperature of the discrete packaged semiconductor is further reduced. At this time, by acquiring the electrical signal of the closed loop, the resistance change of the thermistor 230 can be known, and then the high-precision temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 can be obtained, thereby realizing the temperature measurement of a single discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 and greatly improving the measurement accuracy.

[0053] On the basis of the first specific implementation mode, the processor 100 is further limited to obtain a second specific implementation mode, the structural diagram of which is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes a processor 100 and a semiconductor working unit;

[0054] The semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, a gate drive power supply 210, a thermistor 230, a voltage divider resistor 220 and an electrical signal detection component 240;

[0055] The voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at two ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop;

[0056] The KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is connected between the thermistor 230 and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply 210;

[0057] The electrical signal detection component 240 is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor 100;

[0058] The processor 100 is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 according to the temperature electrical signal;

[0059] The processor 100 is a gate driver chip 300 corresponding to the gate driver power supply 210 .

[0060] In this specific embodiment, the processor 100 is the gate driver chip 300, and the gate driver chip 300 can directly output a digital signal representing the temperature of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, thereby realizing temperature measurement in the gate circuit, greatly enhancing the flexibility of the assembly of the discrete semiconductor circuit and improving the versatility of the discrete semiconductor circuit.

[0061] Since the gate driver chip 300 also has the function of measuring electrical signals, Figure 4 The electrical signal detection component 240 is no longer included, and the electrical signal detection component 240 and the processor 100 are both the gate driver chip 300 .

[0062] Similarly, based on the first embodiment, when the same processor 100 is connected to a plurality of the semiconductor working units, a third embodiment can be obtained, and its structural diagram is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, it includes a processor 100 and a semiconductor working unit;

[0063] The semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, a gate drive power supply 210, a thermistor 230, a voltage divider resistor 220 and an electrical signal detection component 240;

[0064] The voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at two ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop;

[0065] The KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is connected between the thermistor 230 and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply 210;

[0066] The electrical signal detection component 240 is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor 100;

[0067] The processor 100 is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 according to the temperature electrical signal;

[0068] The discrete semiconductor circuit includes a plurality of semiconductor working units; the semiconductor working unit also includes an isolator 260;

[0069] The processor 100 obtains the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor devices 250 corresponding to the plurality of semiconductor working units respectively through the plurality of isolators 260 .

[0070] In this specific embodiment, taking into account the fact that a plurality of discrete semiconductor packaged devices are centrally equipped, and the gate driver chip 300 has a low cost and poor computing power, and is not suitable for directly processing the acquired temperature electrical signals, in this specific embodiment, the temperature electrical signals corresponding to the plurality of discrete semiconductor packaged devices are adjusted through the isolator 260 to electrical signals suitable for long-distance transmission determined according to actual conditions, and are uniformly received and processed by the external processor 100 to obtain the temperature information of each of the discrete semiconductor packaged devices.

[0071] It should be noted that Figure 5 In each discrete semiconductor device, only the thermistor 230 is drawn, indicating that a corresponding electrical signal is obtained from the thermistor 230, input into the isolator 260, and then transmitted from the isolator 260 to the external processor 100. In order to clearly show this process, other structures in the discrete semiconductor device are omitted.

[0072] The present invention also provides a power electronic device with the above-mentioned beneficial effects, and the power electronic device includes a discrete semiconductor circuit as described in any one of the above. The discrete semiconductor circuit provided by the present invention includes a processor 100 and a semiconductor working unit; the semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, a gate drive power supply 210, a thermistor 230, a voltage divider resistor 220 and an electrical signal detection component 240; the voltage divider resistor 220 and the thermistor 230 are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply 210 to form a closed loop; the KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 is connected between the thermistor 230 and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply 210; the electrical signal detection component 240 is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor 100; the processor 100 is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 according to the temperature electrical signal. The present invention drives the closed loop by utilizing the gate drive power supply 210 corresponding to the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250, and at the same time, directly guides the heat energy of the semiconductor package device to the thermistor 230 by utilizing the KELVIN pin, so that the difference between the temperature of the thermistor 230 and the temperature of the discrete packaged semiconductor is further reduced. At this time, by acquiring the electrical signal of the closed loop, the resistance change of the thermistor 230 can be known, and then the high-precision temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 can be obtained, thereby realizing the temperature measurement of a single discrete packaged semiconductor device 250 and greatly improving the measurement accuracy.

[0073] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part.

[0074] It should be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0075] The discrete semiconductor circuit and power electronic device provided by the present invention are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A discrete semiconductor circuit, characterized in that: including processors and semiconductor working units; The semiconductor working unit includes a discrete packaged semiconductor device, a gate drive power supply, a thermistor, a voltage divider resistor and an electrical signal detection component; The voltage dividing resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at two ends of the gate driving power supply to form a closed loop; The KELVIN pin of the discrete packaged semiconductor device is connected between the thermistor and the negative electrode of the gate drive power supply; The electrical signal detection component is used to obtain the temperature electrical signal of the closed loop and send it to the processor; The processor is used to determine the temperature information of the discrete packaged semiconductor device according to the temperature electrical signal.

2. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The electrical signal detection component is a voltage detection component; The voltage detection component is connected to both ends of the thermistor and is used to detect the voltage value of the thermistor.

3. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The voltage divider resistor and the thermistor are connected in series at both ends of the gate drive power supply to form a closed loop including: The positive electrode of the gate driving power supply is connected to the first end of the voltage dividing resistor, the second end of the voltage dividing resistor is connected to the first end of the thermistor, and the second end of the thermistor is connected to the negative electrode of the gate driving power supply.

4. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: When the discrete packaged semiconductor device is a MOSFET, the KELVIN pin is connected to a source region of the MOSFET; When the discrete packaged semiconductor device is an IGBT or a triode, the KELVIN pin is connected to the emitter region of the IGBT or the triode.

5. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The KELVIN pin is directly connected to a corresponding area in the discrete packaged semiconductor device through a binding wire.

6. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The voltage dividing resistor is a high-precision resistor.

7. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The discrete packaged semiconductor device is a TO247 package.

8. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is a gate drive chip corresponding to the gate drive power supply.

9. The discrete semiconductor circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The discrete semiconductor circuit includes a plurality of semiconductor working units; the semiconductor working unit also includes an isolator; The processor obtains temperature information of discrete packaged semiconductor devices corresponding to the plurality of semiconductor working units respectively through the plurality of isolators.

10. A power electronic device, characterized in that: The power electronic device comprises a discrete semiconductor circuit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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