Integrated circuit and semiconductor module

Abstract

A circuit capable of providing a reference voltage having a desired temperature characteristic is provided. An integrated circuit provided by the present invention includes a first current source, a second current source provided in parallel with the first current source, a first resistor connected at one end to an output of the first current source, a first bipolar transistor connected at the other end to the first resistor in a diode connection, a second bipolar transistor connected to an output of the second current source in a diode connection, a second resistor connected to the second bipolar transistor, and an output circuit that outputs a third voltage based on a first voltage output by the first current source and a second voltage output by the second current source.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to integrated circuits and semiconductor modules. Background Technology

[0002] Reference voltage circuits utilizing semiconductor bandgap voltage are known to the public (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-102753 Summary of the Invention The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0004] In a bandgap reference voltage circuit containing a bipolar transistor, leakage current may sometimes occur between the N-well region covering the collector terminal and the substrate when the temperature of the bipolar transistor rises. As a result, the current output from the substrate of the reference voltage circuit increases, and the voltage output from the reference voltage circuit may sometimes fail to achieve the desired temperature characteristics.

[0005] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a circuit capable of providing a reference voltage with desired temperature characteristics. Technical means for solving technical problems

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides an integrated circuit comprising: a first current source; a second current source connected in parallel with the first current source; a first resistor connected at one end to the output of the first current source; a first bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the first resistor and configured as a diode; a second bipolar transistor connected to the output of the second current source and configured as a diode; a second resistor connected to the second bipolar transistor; and an output circuit that outputs a third voltage based on a first voltage output from the first current source and a second voltage output from the second current source.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention provides an integrated circuit, comprising: a first current source; a second current source disposed in parallel with the first current source; a first resistor connected at one end to the output of the first current source; a first bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the first resistor and configured as a diode; a plurality of first trimmer elements connected to the output of the second current source; a plurality of second bipolar transistors respectively connected to the plurality of first trimmer elements and configured as diodes; a second resistor connected at one end to the plurality of second bipolar transistors; and an output circuit that outputs a third voltage based on a first voltage output from the first current source and a second voltage output from the second current source.

[0008] A third aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor module including an integrated circuit and a switching element, the integrated circuit including a control circuit connected to a control electrode of the switching element and controlling the driving of the switching element based on an input signal, the control circuit controlling the driving of the switching element based on the input signal and a third voltage. Invention Effects

[0009] A circuit can be provided that provides a reference voltage with desired temperature characteristics.

[0010] Furthermore, the above description of the invention is not an enumeration of all essential features of the invention. In addition, sub-combinations of these feature groups can also constitute an invention. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 An example showing the structure of semiconductor module 10. Figure 2 An example of a circuit diagram showing the voltage generation circuit 41a. Figure 3 An example of a conceptual diagram showing the generation of leakage current Is1 in a bipolar transistor 74. Figure 4 An example of a simplified diagram showing the temperature changes of current and voltage in reference voltage circuit 52a. Figure 5 An example representing the temperature change of voltages V1, V2, and Vref1. Figure 6 An example circuit diagram of the voltage generation circuit 101a for comparison. Figure 7 An example of a simplified diagram showing the temperature changes of current and voltage in voltage generation circuit 101a. Figure 8 An example showing the structure of integrated circuit 23c. Figure 9 An example showing the structure of the reference voltage circuit 52c. Figure 10 This is an example of the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c. Figure 11 An example of the reference voltage Vref1 when the number of switches 124a~124m in the on state changes. Figure 12 An example of the reference voltage Vref1 when the number of switches 133a~133n in the on state changes. Figure 13 This is an example of the fine-tuning process performed in the reference voltage circuit 52c. Detailed Implementation

[0012] The present invention will now be described through embodiments thereof; however, these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily all necessary technical means to solve the technical problems of the present invention.

[0013] In this specification, the term “connection” is used, and unless otherwise specified, “connection” means “electrical connection”.

[0014] ===Example=== <<Structure Example of Semiconductor Module 10>> Figure 1 This is an example illustrating the structure of semiconductor module 10. Semiconductor module 10 is a module that drives load 11 based on instructions issued by an externally located microcomputer (not shown).

[0015] The semiconductor module 10 uses an externally located power supply 12 with a voltage HV as the main power source for power conversion to the load 11. The semiconductor module 10 is configured to include semiconductor chips 21a and 21b, power supplies 22a and 22b, and integrated circuits 23a and 23b.

[0016] In this embodiment, the semiconductor module 10 is an IPM (Intelligent Power module) that integrates semiconductor chips 21a and 21b, and integrated circuits 23a and 23b that have the function of driving the circuits of semiconductor chips 21a and 21b and various protection functions.

[0017] Here, among the chips constituting the semiconductor module 10, semiconductor chip 21a, power supply 22a, and integrated circuit 23a are disposed on the low-level side, while semiconductor chip 21b, power supply 22b, and integrated circuit 23b are disposed on the high-level side. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the structure of the low-level side circuit is the same as that of the high-level side circuit; therefore, the following description will focus on the low-level side circuit.

[0018] The load 11 is, for example, a motor coil, driven by the voltage Vout output from the node where the contacts are located between semiconductor chips 21a and 21b.

[0019] The semiconductor chip 21a includes a switching element that drives the load 11 and a temperature sensing element. The semiconductor chip 21a in this embodiment includes an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) 31a as a switching element and a diode 32a used for the IGBT 31a as a temperature sensing element.

[0020] However, the switching element in semiconductor chip 21a is not limited to IGBT 31a; it can also be a MOS transistor or a bipolar transistor. In addition to diode 32a, semiconductor chip 21a may also include diodes such as FWD (Free Wheeling Diode) for freewheeling load current.

[0021] Power supply 22a is a power supply for integrated circuit 23a, applying a power supply voltage Vdd1 to power line L1a. In this embodiment, power supply 22a is located outside the semiconductor module 10. However, the voltage supplied to integrated circuit 23a can also be generated by a power supply circuit (not shown) located inside the semiconductor module 10.

[0022] Integrated circuit 23a is a low voltage integrated circuit (LVIC), which controls the IGBT 31a by outputting a drive signal LO to the gate electrode of the IGBT 31a based on the signal LIN input from the microcomputer (not shown). Integrated circuit 23a includes a voltage generation circuit 41a, a temperature detection circuit 42a, and a control circuit 43a.

[0023] The voltage generation circuit 41a in this embodiment is a circuit that generates a reference voltage Vref1 based on the power supply voltage Vdd1 of the power supply line L1a. The voltage generation circuit 41a includes a temperature compensation circuit 51a and a reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0024] The temperature compensation circuit 51a of this embodiment is a circuit that includes a bipolar element. As described later, the bipolar element generates leakage current flowing towards ground within a temperature range above a specified temperature.

[0025] When the temperature is below the specified temperature, the temperature compensation circuit 51a provides a fixed voltage to the reference voltage circuit 52a, and when the temperature is above the specified temperature, it provides a voltage that decreases with the temperature. As described later, when leakage current occurs in the bipolar element contained in the temperature compensation circuit 51a, the voltage supplied from the temperature compensation circuit 51a to the reference voltage circuit 52a will decrease.

[0026] Temperature compensation circuit 51a is connected to power line L1a. When power supply 22a provides voltage, it provides temperature-compensated voltage and current to reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0027] The reference voltage circuit 52a provides a reference voltage Vref1 to the control circuit 43a based on the power supply voltage Vdd1 provided from the power supply line L1a and the voltage and current provided from the temperature compensation circuit 51a.

[0028] Temperature detection circuit 42a provides a specified current to diode 32a, and based on the forward voltage of diode 32a, outputs a temperature sensing signal Tsns1 corresponding to the temperature of IGBT 31a to control circuit 43a.

[0029] The control circuit 43a controls the operation of the IGBT 31a based on the signal LIN, reference voltage Vref1, and temperature sensing signal Tsns1 input from the microcomputer (not shown).

[0030] The control circuit 43a is connected to the control electrode of the switching element of the semiconductor chip 21a. That is, when the switching element is an IGBT 31a as in this embodiment, the control circuit 43a is connected to the gate electrode. Similarly, when the switching element is a MOS transistor, the control circuit 43a is connected to the gate electrode, and when the switching element is a bipolar transistor, the control circuit 43a is connected to the base.

[0031] Specifically, control circuit 43a outputs drive signal LO based on signal LIN, thereby controlling the drive of IGBT 31a. Control circuit 43a also detects overheating of semiconductor chip 21a based on reference voltage Vref1 and temperature sensing signal Tsns1. If the semiconductor chip 21a is detected to be overheating, the control circuit 43a provides overheat protection for the IGBT 31a, for example, by cutting off the IGBT 31a.

[0032] As the corresponding structure on the high-level side, semiconductor chip 21b includes IGBT 31b and diode 32b, and power supply 22b applies power supply voltage Vdd2 to power line L1b. Integrated circuit 23b includes voltage generation circuit 41b, temperature detection circuit 42b, and control circuit 43b.

[0033] Similar to voltage generation circuit 41a, voltage generation circuit 41b provides reference voltage Vref2 to control circuit 43b. Similarly to temperature detection circuit 42a, temperature detection circuit 42b outputs temperature sensing signal Tsns2 corresponding to the temperature of IGBT 31b to control circuit 43b based on the forward voltage of diode 32b.

[0034] The control circuit 43b controls the operation of the IGBT 31b based on the signal HIN, reference voltage Vref2, and temperature sensing signal Tsns2 input from a microcomputer (not shown). The control circuit 43b includes a level conversion circuit (not shown) that converts the signal HIN with reference voltage GND into a signal with reference voltage Vout.

[0035] Therefore, the voltage generation circuit 41b and the temperature detection circuit 42b have the same functions and structures as the voltage generation circuit 41a and the temperature detection circuit 42a, respectively. Therefore, the integrated circuit 23b, which includes the high-level side voltage generation circuit 41b, the temperature detection circuit 42b, and the control circuit 43b, will not be described in detail below.

[0036] Furthermore, the reference voltage Vref1 is equivalent to the "third voltage". The control circuit 43b is equivalent to the "second control circuit". The reference voltage circuit 52a that outputs the reference voltage Vref1 will be described in detail below.

[0037] ===Structure of Voltage Generation Circuit 41a=== Figure 2 An example circuit diagram showing the voltage generation circuit 41a. It illustrates the structure of the temperature compensation circuit 51a and the reference voltage circuit 52a included in the voltage generation circuit 41a.

[0038] The temperature compensation circuit 51a includes MOS transistors 61-64, bipolar transistors 65 and 67, and resistor 66. MOS transistors 61 and 62 are P-type MOS transistors, while MOS transistors 63 and 64 are N-type MOS transistors.

[0039] The reference voltage circuit 52a includes MOS transistors 71 and 72, resistors 73 and 76, bipolar transistors 74 and 75, and an output circuit 77. MOS transistors 71 and 72 are P-type MOS transistors.

[0040] <<Structure of Temperature Compensation Circuit 51a>> In MOS transistors 62 and 63, the gate and drain electrodes are connected by diodes. MOS transistors 61 and 62 form a P-channel current mirror circuit 68, and MOS transistors 63 and 64 form an N-channel current mirror circuit 69.

[0041] When power line L1a supplies voltage Vdd1 and current to diode-connected MOS transistor 62, MOS transistor 61 turns on. Consequently, MOS transistor 61 outputs current based on the current flowing through MOS transistor 62. As a result, MOS transistors 61 and 62 supply current to MOS transistors 63 and 64, respectively.

[0042] In this embodiment, the drain electrode of MOS transistor 62 is connected to MOS transistor 64, and is connected in parallel with the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72, respectively. That is, MOS transistors 62, 71, and 72 constitute a current mirror circuit.

[0043] Here, when no leakage current is generated in the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72, the current flowing steadily from MOS transistor 62 to MOS transistors 71 and 72 is almost negligible. Therefore, the current supplied to MOS transistors 61 and 62 from power line L1a is supplied to MOS transistors 63 and 64.

[0044] Furthermore, when the MOS transistor 61 of the current mirror circuit 68 supplies current to the diode-connected MOS transistor 63, the MOS transistor 64 turns on. Thus, the MOS transistor 64 outputs current based on the current flowing through the MOS transistor 63. As a result, the MOS transistor 63 supplies current to the bipolar transistor 65, and the MOS transistor 64 supplies current to the resistor 66.

[0045] In this embodiment, MOS transistors 61 and 62 are of equal size, and MOS transistors 63 and 64 are of equal size. Therefore, the current output from MOS transistors 63 and 64 in the current mirror circuit 69 is equal.

[0046] The base and collector of bipolar transistor 65 are connected. In this case, the base and collector of bipolar transistor 65 are connected to one end of the output of current mirror circuit 69, i.e., the source electrode of MOS transistor 63. On the other hand, the emitter of bipolar transistor 65 is grounded.

[0047] One end of resistor 66 is connected to the other end of the output of current mirror circuit 69, which is the source electrode of MOS transistor 64. On the other hand, the other end of resistor 66 is connected to the base and collector of bipolar transistor 67.

[0048] Similar to bipolar transistor 65, the base and collector of bipolar transistor 67 are connected. On the other hand, the emitter of bipolar transistor 67 is grounded.

[0049] Bipolar transistors 65 and 67 form structures with different base-emitter voltages. Specifically, in this embodiment, bipolar transistor 65 is composed of a single bipolar transistor, but multiple bipolar transistors are connected in parallel on the side of bipolar transistor 67. Therefore, the base-emitter voltage of bipolar transistor 65 is greater than that of bipolar transistor 67. Both bipolar transistors 65 and 67 have positive temperature coefficients in their base-emitter voltages.

[0050] In this embodiment, the currents output by current mirror circuits 68 and 69 are equal, therefore, the voltages generated on the source electrodes of MOS transistors 63 and 64 are also equal. Consequently, a voltage with a negative temperature coefficient is generated in resistor 66, corresponding to the difference between the base-emitter voltage of bipolar transistor 65 and the base-emitter voltage of bipolar transistor 67.

[0051] The result is a voltage at the junction of MOS transistor 64 and resistor 66, obtained by adding the base-emitter voltage of bipolar transistor 67 (which has a positive temperature coefficient) to the voltage across resistor 66 (which has a negative temperature coefficient). In this embodiment, for example, the resistance value of resistor 66 or the number of bipolar transistors 67 can be adjusted so that the temperature coefficient of the voltage at the junction of MOS transistor 64 and resistor 66 is zero.

[0052] Here, a current Iref flows through the bipolar transistor 67. In this embodiment, when the current Iref flowing through the bipolar transistor 67 increases, the voltage supplied from the MOS transistor 62 to the gate electrode of the MOS transistors 71 and 72 decreases accordingly.

[0053] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 As described later, when the temperature of bipolar transistors 65 and 67 rises above the specified temperature threshold Tth, leakage current will be generated in bipolar transistors 65 and 67. In this case, the current flowing through bipolar transistor 65 and the current Iref flowing through bipolar transistor 67 increase.

[0054] The current flowing through bipolar transistors 65 and 67 is supplied to them by current mirror circuits 68 and 69. Therefore, when leakage current occurs, the current flowing through current mirror circuits 68 and 69 increases.

[0055] The MOS transistors 61 and 62 that constitute the current mirror circuit 68 are P-type MOS transistors. Therefore, when the current flowing through the current mirror circuit 68 increases, the source-drain current of the P-type MOS transistors 61 and 62 increases, and the gate voltage of the MOS transistors 61 and 62 decreases.

[0056] In this case, the gate electrode of MOS transistor 62 is connected in parallel with the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72. Therefore, when the gate voltage of MOS transistor 62 decreases, the voltage applied to the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 by the temperature compensation circuit 51a also decreases.

[0057] That is, MOS transistor 62 uses the current Iref flowing through bipolar transistor 67 as a reference current and applies a voltage corresponding to the reference current to MOS transistors 71 and 72.

[0058] Here, current mirror circuit 68 is equivalent to the "first current mirror circuit". Similarly, current mirror circuit 69 is equivalent to the "second current mirror circuit".

[0059] Additionally, resistor 66 is equivalent to the "fifth resistor". Bipolar transistor 65 is equivalent to the "fourth bipolar transistor", and bipolar transistor 67 is equivalent to the "third bipolar transistor". The current Iref flowing through bipolar transistor 67 is equivalent to the "reference current". In a bipolar transistor, connecting the base and collector is equivalent to connecting the bipolar transistor as a diode.

[0060] <<Structure of Reference Voltage Circuit 52a>> The source electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 are connected in parallel with the power supply line L1a. That is, the source electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 are subjected to equal voltages by the power supply line L1a.

[0061] On the other hand, the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 are each connected to the gate electrode of MOS transistor 62. Therefore, MOS transistors 71 and 72 together with MOS transistor 62 form a current mirror circuit, and a predetermined voltage is applied to the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 by the temperature compensation circuit 51a. In this case, MOS transistors 71 and 72 function as current sources to provide current to the components connected to their drain electrodes.

[0062] Furthermore, the MOS transistors 71 and 72 in this embodiment are of the same size. Therefore, the current supplied from the drain electrodes of the MOS transistors 71 and 72 is equal.

[0063] One end of resistor 73 is connected to the drain electrode of MOS transistor 71. The other end of resistor 73 is connected to the collector electrode of bipolar transistor 74. Therefore, the current Ic1 supplied from MOS transistor 71 to resistor 73 flows through resistor 73 and is supplied to bipolar transistor 74.

[0064] Current Ic1 flows from resistor 73 into bipolar transistor 74. Here, in bipolar transistor 74, the collector and base are connected in a diode configuration. That is, current Ic1 is the current flowing from the collector side into the collector and base of bipolar transistor 74.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 As described later, the P-base region of the bipolar transistor 74 is grounded. When the temperature of the bipolar transistor 74 reaches a specified temperature, a leakage current Is1 will be generated that flows from the substrate to the ground direction instead of through the emitter.

[0066] Therefore, the current Ic1 can be expressed as the sum of the current Ie flowing from the emitter of the bipolar transistor 74 and the leakage current Is1 flowing from the substrate. That is, the equation Ic1 = Ie1 + Is1 holds true.

[0067] The current flowing through resistor 73 is Ic1. Therefore, for the voltage V1 supplied by the drain electrode of MOS transistor 71, the formula V1 = (Ie1 + Is1) × (resistance of resistor 73) + (voltage drop of bipolar transistor 74) holds true. Thus, voltage V1 increases as the drain current Is1 increases.

[0068] On the other hand, a current Ic2 is supplied from the MOS transistor 72 to the bipolar transistor 75, whose base and collector are connected in a diode configuration. That is, the current Ic2 is the current flowing into the collector and base of the bipolar transistor 75. The bipolar transistor 75 is connected to the drain electrode of the MOS transistor 72.

[0069] Similar to bipolar transistor 74, bipolar transistor 75 generates a leakage current Is2 that flows from the substrate to ground instead of through the emitter when the temperature reaches a specified level. As the leakage current Is2 increases, the current Ie2 flowing from the emitter of bipolar transistor 75 decreases.

[0070] One end of resistor 76 is connected to the emitter of bipolar transistor 75, and the other end is grounded. In this case, the voltage drop across resistor 76 is equal to (resistance value of resistor 76) × Ie². In this embodiment, the resistance value of resistor 76 is set to be equal to the resistance value of resistor 73.

[0071] For the voltage V2 provided by MOS transistor 72, the formula V2 = (resistance value of resistor 76) × Ie2 + (voltage drop of bipolar transistor 75) holds true. Since the larger the leakage current Is2, the smaller the current Ie2, the voltage V2 decreases as the leakage current Is2 increases.

[0072] When the bipolar transistor 67 is within a temperature range above the specified temperature threshold Tth, the current Ic1 provided by the MOS transistors 71 and 72 increases with the increase of temperature. Based on the current Iref flowing through the bipolar transistor 67, the current flowing between the source and drain of the P-type MOS transistor 62 increases accordingly, and the gate voltage of the MOS transistor 62 decreases accordingly.

[0073] MOS transistors 71 and 72, along with MOS transistor 62, form a current mirror circuit. Therefore, as the gate voltage of MOS transistor 62 decreases, the gate voltages of P-type MOS transistors 71 and 72 also decrease. Consequently, the source-drain currents Ic1 and Ic2 flowing through MOS transistors 71 and 72 also increase.

[0074] That is, in this embodiment, when the bipolar transistor 67 is used as the reference current, the MOS transistors 71 and 72 function as current sources to generate currents Ic1 and Ic2 supplied from the drain electrode.

[0075] The output circuit 77 outputs a reference voltage Vref1 based on the voltages V1 and V2 provided by the MOS transistors 71 and 72, which function as current sources.

[0076] In this embodiment, the output circuit 77 includes resistors 81 and 82. That is, the output circuit 77 in this embodiment is a voltage divider circuit composed of resistor 81 connected to the node that generates voltage V1 and resistor 82 connected to the node that generates voltage V2. In this embodiment, the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82 are set to be equal.

[0077] One end of resistor 81 is connected to the drain electrode of MOS transistor 71, which functions as a current source. On the other hand, one end of resistor 82 is connected to the drain electrode of MOS transistor 72, which also functions as a current source.

[0078] The other end of resistor 82 is connected to the side of resistor 81 opposite to the drain electrode side connected to MOS transistor 71. In this case, output circuit 77 outputs the voltage generated at the node connected between resistors 81 and 82 as the reference voltage Vref1.

[0079] In other embodiments, the output circuit 77 may be, for example, an adder circuit that includes an operational amplifier to add voltages V1 and V2 to output a reference voltage Vref1. In this case, the output voltage 77 is a non-inverting adder circuit.

[0080] For example, the non-inverting adder circuit is constructed by connecting the non-inverting input terminal and resistors 81 and 82 in parallel, based on the structure of an operational amplifier where resistors are placed between the inverting input terminal and the output terminal and connected to each other, and the inverting input terminal is grounded through other resistors.

[0081] The output circuit 77 can also be an inverting adder circuit obtained by connecting the non-inverting input terminal of the inverting amplifier circuit in parallel with resistors 81 and 82, or it can be a non-inverting adder circuit formed by connecting the inverting amplifier circuit and the inverting adder circuit.

[0082] On the other hand, in the embodiment where the output circuit 77 in the figure is a voltage divider, without using components such as operational amplifiers, only two resistors, 81 and 82, are used to divide the voltages V1 and V2. Therefore, the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment utilizes a circuit with few components and a small circuit area, and by weighting the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82 as desired, it can output a reference voltage Vref1 after combining voltages V1 and V2.

[0083] Here, MOS transistor 71 functions as the "first current source," equivalent to the "first MOS transistor." MOS transistor 72 functions as the "second current source," equivalent to the "second MOS transistor." Voltage V1 is equivalent to the "first voltage," and voltage V2 is equivalent to the "second voltage."

[0084] Resistor 73 is equivalent to the "first resistor", and bipolar transistor 74 is equivalent to the "first bipolar transistor". Bipolar transistor 75 is equivalent to the "second bipolar transistor", and resistor 76 is equivalent to the "second resistor". Resistor 81 is equivalent to the "third resistor", and resistor 82 is equivalent to the "fourth resistor".

[0085] ===Leakage Current Is Generation Mechanism=== Figure 3 This is an example of a conceptual diagram illustrating the generation of leakage current Is1 in the bipolar transistor 74 of the reference voltage circuit 52a. In this embodiment, within the semiconductor, an N-well region 92 is provided in the substrate 91, and a doped diffusion region for enabling the terminals to function is provided in the N-well region 92, thereby forming the bipolar transistor 74. In this embodiment, the substrate 91 is a P-type conductivity type.

[0086] An N+ collector region 93 is provided around the region where the collector terminal 96 is located in the N-well region 92, and a P+ base region 94 is provided around the region where the base terminal 97 is located. Furthermore, an N+ emitter region 95 is provided around the region where the emitter terminal 98 is located in the P+ base region 94.

[0087] In the regions marked with each conductivity type, "+" indicates that the doping concentration is higher than that of regions without "+", and "-" indicates that the doping concentration is lower than that of regions without "-".

[0088] In such a bipolar transistor 74, the surface area of ​​the PN junction between the substrate 91 and the well region 92 is larger than that of a MOS transistor. Moreover, as the temperature of the semiconductor device increases, the larger the surface area of ​​the PN junction, the more likely leakage current Is1 will be generated.

[0089] Furthermore, when explaining the mechanism by which the bipolar element in the reference voltage circuit 52a generates leakage current Is1, the bipolar transistor 74 was used as an example, but the bipolar transistor 75 may also generate leakage current Is2 based on the same mechanism.

[0090] Here, the magnitudes of the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 of bipolar transistors 74 and 75 depend on the surface area of ​​the internal PN junction portion. In bipolar transistors 74 and 75, by making the current supplied to each bipolar transistor equal, the number of parallel bipolar transistors constituting each bipolar transistor, and the surface area of ​​the PN junction portion are made equal, thus the magnitudes of the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 can be adjusted to be equal.

[0091] In this embodiment, bipolar transistors 74 and 75 are of equal size. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the current supplied from the drain electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 is equal. Therefore, the magnitudes of the drain currents Is1 and Is2 generated in bipolar transistors 74 and 75, respectively, are also adjusted to be equal.

[0092] In this embodiment, "bipolar transistors 74 and 75 are of equal size" means that the number of parallel bipolar transistors internally configured is also adjusted so that the overall size of the bipolar transistors is equal.

[0093] Therefore, the "leakage current" in this embodiment is, for example, the current flowing from the N-well region 92 to the substrate 91 when the bipolar transistor is formed.

[0094] ===Temperature Characteristics of Voltage and Current in Reference Voltage Circuit 52a=== Figure 4 An example of a simplified diagram showing the temperature variations of current and voltage in the reference voltage circuit 52a. With temperature on the horizontal axis, the diagram outlines the voltages Vdd1, V1, V2, Vref1 and currents Ic1, Ic2, Ie1, Ie2. In this embodiment, a graph is used to represent the leakage current generated in bipolar transistors 74 and 75 when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold Tth.

[0095] Voltage Vdd1 is supplied by power supply 22a via power line L1a. In this embodiment, voltage Vdd1 is not affected by temperature changes.

[0096] The currents Ic1 provided by MOS transistor 71 and Ic2 provided by MOS transistor 72 increase as the current flowing through bipolar transistors 65 and 67 in temperature compensation circuit 51a increases. When leakage current is generated in bipolar transistors 65 and 67, leakage currents Is1 and Is2 are also generated in bipolar transistors 74 and 75.

[0097] Therefore, within a temperature range above the specified temperature threshold Tth, currents Ic1 and Ic2 increase with increasing leakage currents Is1 and Is2. In this embodiment, the size of bipolar transistor 74 is equal to the size of bipolar transistor 75. Therefore, leakage currents Is1 and Is2 satisfy the equation Is1 = Is2 and increase proportionally.

[0098] On the other hand, the current Ie1 flowing out from the emitter of bipolar transistor 74 and the current Ie2 flowing out from the emitter of bipolar transistor 75 decrease as the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 increase.

[0099] Here, voltage V1 satisfies the formula V1 = (Ie1 + Is1) × (resistance of resistor 73) + (voltage drop of bipolar transistor 74), and voltage V2 satisfies the formula V2 = (resistance of resistor 76) × Ie2 + (voltage drop of bipolar transistor 75). In this case, voltage V1 increases with the increase of leakage current Is1, and voltage V2 decreases with the increase of leakage current Is2.

[0100] Here, the collectors of bipolar transistors 74 and 75 are connected to their bases; therefore, the voltage drop across bipolar transistors 74 and 75 is equal to the forward voltage of a diode. For example, the voltage drop across bipolar transistors 74 and 75 is 0.7V. Since bipolar transistors 74 and 75 are the same size, their voltage drops are also equal.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the resistance values ​​of resistor 73 and resistor 76 are equal. Therefore, the absolute values ​​of the changes in voltage V1 of bipolar transistor 74 and voltage V2 of bipolar transistor 75 as temperature rises can be made approximately the same.

[0102] In this embodiment, resistors 81 and 82 are identical. Therefore, the reference voltage Vref1 becomes a voltage that is an equal division of voltages V1 and V2. In this embodiment, the rise in voltage V1 and the fall in voltage V2 are approximately the same; therefore, the curve of the reference voltage Vref1 is basically flat with respect to temperature changes.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, a reference voltage circuit 52a with fewer circuit components, smaller size and smaller circuit area can generate a stable reference voltage Vref1 even when the voltage generation circuit 41a is at high temperature.

[0104] Furthermore, for example, when the output circuit 77 is a voltage divider circuit, by intentionally causing a deviation in the ratio of the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82, the voltage division ratio of voltages V1 and V2 can be deviated. In this case, the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment can adjust the temperature characteristics of the output reference voltage Vref1 to the desired characteristics.

[0105] Thus, for example, if the subsequent circuit of the voltage generation circuit 41a has a temperature characteristic that increases the delay time at high temperatures when the reference voltage Vref1 is kept fixed, a circuit with no operation delay can be provided by setting a deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 with a positive temperature characteristic.

[0106] Therefore, according to the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment, by adjusting the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82, resistors 73 and 76, the dimensions of bipolar transistors 74 and 75, and the dimensions of MOS transistors 71 and 72, a reference voltage Vref1 with desired temperature characteristics can be output.

[0107] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the influence of leakage currents Is1 and Is2 on the reference voltage Vref1 can be adjusted according to the structure of the reference voltage circuit 52a. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the influence of leakage currents Is1 and Is2 on the reference voltage Vref1 without performing additional processes such as setting isolation regions around the PN junction regions of bipolar transistors 74 and 75 to prevent leakage currents Is1 and Is2 from being generated.

[0108] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the influence of leakage currents Is1 and Is2 can be adjusted without increasing the number of processes in the semiconductor manufacturing process. That is, the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment also contributes to the reduction of manufacturing costs.

[0109] The high-level voltage generation circuit 41b is also able to output a reference voltage Vref2 with the desired temperature characteristics by setting a temperature compensation circuit 51b and a reference voltage circuit 52b with the same structure as the voltage generation circuit 41a in this embodiment.

[0110] <<Regarding the parallel structure of temperature compensation circuit 51a and reference voltage circuit 52a>> Here, the increase in currents Ic1 and Ic2 refers to the increase in current flowing out of the drain electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72. MOS transistors 71 and 72 are P-type MOS transistors; therefore, when the gate voltage of MOS transistors 71 and 72 decreases, the current flowing out of the drain electrodes increases.

[0111] On the other hand, leakage current will also occur in the bipolar transistors 65 and 67 of the temperature compensation circuit 51a within the temperature range above the temperature threshold Tth. In this case, the current flowing through the current mirror circuits 68 and 69 will also increase.

[0112] The MOS transistors 61 and 62 that constitute the current mirror circuit 68 are PMOS transistors. Therefore, as the current in the current mirror circuit 68 increases, the gate voltage of the MOS transistors 61 and 62 also decreases.

[0113] In this embodiment, the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 61 and 62 in the current mirror circuit 68 of the temperature compensation circuit 51a are connected in parallel with the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72. Therefore, when the gate voltages of MOS transistors 71 and 72 in the reference voltage circuit 52a decrease due to the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 of bipolar transistors 74 and 75, the temperature compensation circuit 51a also provides a decreasing voltage.

[0114] That is, the MOS transistor 62 of the temperature compensation circuit 51a functions as a bias voltage source for the gate electrodes of the MOS transistors 71 and 72, which is the bias voltage corresponding to the current flowing through the bipolar transistors 65 and 67.

[0115] Therefore, in this embodiment, as the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 increase, the currents Ic1 and Ic2 also increase. Furthermore, this stabilizes the output of the reference voltage Vref1 of the reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0116] Figure 5 This is an example illustrating the temperature changes of voltages V1, V2, and Vref1. In the figure, the dotted line represents voltage V1, and the dashed line represents voltage V2.

[0117] In this embodiment, by adjusting the resistance values ​​of resistors 73 and 76, the dimensions of bipolar transistors 74 and 75, and the dimensions of MOS transistors 71 and 72, the increase value of voltage V1 and the decrease value of voltage V2 in the range above the temperature threshold Tth can be adjusted to be equal.

[0118] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by making the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82 in the voltage divider circuit equal, the output of the reference voltage Vref1 can be adjusted to be substantially flat. Thus, the reference voltage circuit 52a can output a reference voltage Vref1 with improved temperature characteristics at high temperatures.

[0119] ===Comparative Examples=== Figure 6 An example circuit diagram showing the voltage generation circuit 101a of the comparative example. The voltage generation circuit 101a is connected within the semiconductor module in the same manner as the voltage generation circuit 41a.

[0120] The voltage generation circuit 101a includes a temperature compensation circuit 51a and a reference voltage circuit 111a. The temperature compensation circuit 51a is the same as the circuit included in the voltage generation circuit 41a, while the reference voltage circuit 111a has a different structure than the reference voltage circuit 52a. The following explanation will focus primarily on the structural differences between the voltage generation circuit 41a and the voltage generation circuit 101a.

[0121] The reference voltage circuit 111a differs from the reference voltage circuit 52a in that it does not include the circuitry containing the MOS transistor 72, the bipolar transistor 75, and the resistor 76. Therefore, the reference voltage circuit 111a does not include a node for generating voltage V2, nor does it include a resistor 82 for dividing voltage V2.

[0122] Similar to the reference voltage circuit 52a, in the bipolar transistor 74, because Figure 3 The leakage current Is1 is generated by the mechanism shown. As the leakage current Is1 is generated, the current Ic1 also increases.

[0123] In the comparative example, voltage V1 satisfies the formula V1 = (Ie1 + Is1) × (resistance value of resistor 73) + (voltage drop across bipolar transistor 74). In the comparative example, since the reference voltage circuit 111a does not include resistor 82, the reference voltage Vref1 provided by the reference voltage circuit 111a is the voltage V1 minus the voltage drop across resistor 81.

[0124] ===Temperature Characteristics of Voltage and Current in Reference Voltage Circuit 111a=== Figure 7 An example of a simplified diagram showing the temperature changes of current and voltage in the voltage generation circuit 101a of the comparative example. With temperature on the horizontal axis, an overview of voltages Vdd1, V1, Vref1, and current Ic1 is shown.

[0125] The comparative examples also include Figure 4 Similarly, the voltage Vdd1 is unaffected by temperature changes.

[0126] In the comparative example, within the temperature range above the temperature threshold Tth, also because Figure 3 The leakage current Is1 is generated by the mechanism shown. In this case, the current Ic1 increases as the leakage current Is1 increases.

[0127] The voltage V1 satisfies the formula V1 = (Ie1 + Is1) × (resistance value of resistor 73) + (voltage drop of bipolar transistor 74). Therefore, the voltage V1 increases as the leakage current Is1 increases.

[0128] In the comparative example's reference voltage circuit 111a, no node is set to generate voltage V2 to offset the effect of the rise in voltage V1. The reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 111a is the voltage obtained by subtracting the voltage drop across resistor 81 from voltage V1. As voltage V1 rises, the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 111a also rises.

[0129] As described above, in the comparative example, a reference voltage Vref1 that increases with the generation of leakage current Is1 can be obtained from the reference voltage circuit 111a. However, in the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment, by using a structure with fewer circuit components, smaller size, and smaller circuit area, a reference voltage Vref1 with the desired temperature characteristics can be provided.

[0130] <<Integrated Circuits 23c>> Next, refer to Figure 8 Another embodiment of the integrated circuit 23c will be described here. Figure 8 In the middle, used with Figure 1 The same labels in the text represent structures that correspond to the same structure.

[0131] Like integrated circuit 23a, integrated circuit 23c is also an LVIC. Similar to integrated circuit 23a, integrated circuit 23c controls IGBT 31a by outputting a drive signal LO to the gate electrode of IGBT 31a in semiconductor chip 21a based on the signal LIN output from a microcomputer (not shown). Integrated circuit 23c includes a voltage generation circuit 41c, a temperature detection circuit 42a, a control circuit 43a, a storage circuit 44c, and a switch control circuit 45c. That is, the difference between integrated circuit 23c and integrated circuit 23a is that integrated circuit 23c includes a voltage generation circuit 41c, a storage circuit 44c, and a switch control circuit 45c.

[0132] Integrated circuit 23c has an integrated circuit 23d (not shown) on its high-level side. Integrated circuit 23d has the same structure as integrated circuit 23c, including a voltage generation circuit 41d, a temperature detection circuit 42b, a control circuit 43b, a storage circuit 44d, and a switch control circuit 45d. Regarding the relationship between integrated circuits 23c and 23d, since the structures of the low-level side circuit and the high-level side circuit are the same, the following explanation will focus on the low-level side circuit.

[0133] Storage circuit 44c is used to store the representation. Figure 9 The data D(SW) corresponding to the on / off state information of switches 131a~131c, 122a~122c, 124a~124m, and 133a~133n, as described below, is included. The storage circuit 44c is, for example, an EP-ROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that allows the user to write or delete data for external communication.

[0134] The switch control circuit 45c outputs a signal Vsw to switch the state of each switch within the reference voltage circuit 52c. Therefore, the switch control circuit 45c controls the switching based on the data D(SW). Figure 9 The on / off states of switches 131a~131c, 122a~122c, 124a~124m and 133a~133n, as described below, will be discussed later.

[0135] Here, the switch control circuit 45c is equivalent to the "first control circuit".

[0136] ==Voltage Generation Circuit 41c== The voltage generation circuit 41c in this embodiment includes a temperature compensation circuit 51c and a reference voltage circuit 52c. The temperature compensation circuit 51c has the same structure as the temperature compensation circuit 51a. On the other hand, the reference voltage circuit 52c has a different structure than the reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0137] Below, refer to Figure 9 The structure of the reference voltage circuit 52c is described in detail.

[0138] ==Reference Voltage Circuit 52c== Figure 9 An example illustrating the structure of the reference voltage circuit 52c. Here, Figure 9 In, with Figure 2 The same labels in the reference voltage circuit 52a represent structures that correspond to the same structure.

[0139] The reference voltage circuit 52c includes MOS transistors 71 and 72, variable resistors 121 and 126, switches 122a~122c, 124a~124m, bipolar transistors 123a~123c, 125a~125m, and output circuit 77.

[0140] The variable resistor 121 includes switches 131a~131c and resistors 132a~132c, and the variable resistor 126 includes switches 133a~133n and resistors 134a~134n.

[0141] ===Operational Overview of Reference Voltage Circuit 52C=== The reference voltage circuit 52c can be fine-tuned at room temperature and high temperature to adjust the state of each switch to obtain a reference voltage Vref1 with the desired characteristics at both conditions. Here, "room temperature" is, for example, 25°C, and "high temperature" is, for example, 175°C. Furthermore, the temperature set as "high temperature" is not limited to 175°C; it can be any temperature set according to the specifications of the semiconductor module 10.

[0142] Specifically, in the reference voltage circuit 52c, switches 124a~124m are used to adjust the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1 when the temperature changes. On the other hand, switches 122a~122c, switches 131a~131c, and switches 133a~133n are used to correct the deviation of the reference voltage Vref from the desired voltage value.

[0143] The fine-tuning performed by the detection circuit 23c in this embodiment refers to the switching of the switch by the switch control circuit 45c based on the data D(SW) stored in the storage circuit 44c, thereby changing the number of resistors and bipolar transistors connected. That is, switches 122a~122c, switches 124a~124m, switches 131a~131c, and switches 133a~133n respectively act as fine-tuning elements for adjusting temperature characteristics or voltage.

[0144] However, the fine-tuning performed by the reference voltage circuit 52c is not limited to using the storage circuit 44c and the switch; it can also be performed by laser fine-tuning to melt the wiring or the resistor. In the case where a switch is used as the fine-tuning element as in this embodiment, fine-tuning can be performed again to change the switch setting.

[0145] ===Structure of Reference Voltage Circuit 52C=== The variable resistor 121 changes its resistance value based on the signal Vsw output by the switch control circuit 45c. Specifically, the variable resistor 121 includes switches 131a~131c and resistors 132a~132c, and switches the number of resistors 132a~132c connected based on the signal Vsw output by the switch control circuit 45c. One end of the variable resistor 121 is connected to the MOS transistor 71.

[0146] In this embodiment, there are three switches 131a~131c and three corresponding resistors 132a~132c. The number of switches 131a~131c and resistors 132a~132c can be two or more, and is not limited to three.

[0147] Switches 122a-122c switch the number of bipolar transistors 123a-123c connected based on the signal Vsw. Switches 122a-122c are each connected to the other end of the variable resistor 121.

[0148] Bipolar transistors 123a-123c each make a positive contribution to the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1. Bipolar transistors 123a-123c are connected to corresponding switches 122a-122c. That is, bipolar transistors 123a-123c are connected to the other end of the variable resistor 121 via corresponding switches 122a-122c.

[0149] Here, switches 122a-122c are positioned closer to the variable resistor 121 than the node formed by diode connection of the base and collector of bipolar transistors 123a-123c. This prevents current from flowing into the base or collector of the corresponding bipolar transistors 123a-123c when switches 122a-122c are in the open state.

[0150] Therefore, when switches 122a~122c are in the open state, leakage current can be prevented from being generated in the corresponding bipolar transistors 123a~123c.

[0151] In this embodiment, there are three switches 122a~122c and three bipolar transistors 123a~123c. However, the number of these components is not limited to three; any integer number of two or more can be finely adjusted. In particular, the smaller the size of each bipolar transistor and the more switches and corresponding bipolar transistors there are, the more precisely the temperature characteristics of the output voltage Vref1 can be adjusted.

[0152] Switches 124a-124m switch the number of bipolar transistors 125a-125m connected based on the signal Vsw. Switches 124a-124m are connected to the drain electrode of MOS transistor 72. In this embodiment, there are m switches 124a-124m (m is a positive integer).

[0153] Bipolar transistors 125a to 125m each contribute negatively to the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1. That is, the more bipolar transistors 125a to 125m there are, the greater the leakage current in the reference voltage circuit 52c as the temperature increases. Therefore, the more bipolar transistors 125a to 125m are connected, the more negative the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1 become.

[0154] The number of bipolar transistors 125a~125m corresponds to the number of switches 124a~124m. In this embodiment, the bipolar transistors 125a~125m and the switches 124a~124m are both provided in m units (m is a positive integer).

[0155] Bipolar transistors 125a-125m are diode-connected transistors. Bipolar transistors 125a-125m are connected to corresponding switches 124a-124m.

[0156] Switches 124a to 124m are positioned closer to the variable resistor 121 than the node formed by diode connection of the base and collector of bipolar transistors 125a to 125m. Therefore, when one of the switches 124a to 124m is in the open state, leakage current in the corresponding bipolar transistor 125a to 125m can be prevented.

[0157] The variable resistor 126 changes its resistance value based on the signal Vsw. Specifically, the variable resistor 126 includes switches 133a-133n and resistors 134a-134n, and switches the number of resistors 134a-134n connected based on the signal Vsw output by the switch control circuit 45c. Thus, the variable resistor 126 reduces the deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 from the desired value (e.g., 1.2V).

[0158] Resistors 134a~134n cause the resistance value of variable resistor 126 to change discretely according to the on / off state of switches 133a~133n. Therefore, compared to the case where variable resistor 126 changes continuously, the variation in the resistance value of variable resistor 126 due to noise and current conditions is reduced.

[0159] In this embodiment, the resistors located at the positions of variable resistor 121 and variable resistor 126 are both variable resistors. However, it is also possible that one of these two resistors is a variable resistor, while the other is a resistor with a fixed resistance value.

[0160] Here, "switches 124a~124m" are equivalent to "multiple first fine-tuning elements". In addition, "switches 131a~131c" are equivalent to "multiple second fine-tuning elements".

[0161] In addition, variable resistor 121 is equivalent to the "first resistor". Variable resistor 126 is equivalent to the "second resistor".

[0162] In addition, bipolar transistors 123a~123c can be respectively connected to... Figure 2 The bipolar transistor 74 is the same bipolar transistor, or it can be a different bipolar transistor. Bipolar transistors 123a~123c are equivalent to "multiple first bipolar transistors".

[0163] Similarly, bipolar transistors 125a~125m can also be respectively with Figure 2 The bipolar transistor 75 is the same bipolar transistor, but it can also be a different bipolar transistor. Bipolar transistors 125a~125m are equivalent to "multiple second bipolar transistors".

[0164] ===Reference voltage Vref1 output by reference voltage circuit 52c=== Figure 10This is an example of the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c.

[0165] Here, the resistance of variable resistor 121 is set to r1, the combined resistance of bipolar transistors 123a~123c is set to R1, and the leakage current of bipolar transistors 125a~125m is set to... IL, set their combined resistance to R2, and set the resistance of variable resistor 126 to r2.

[0166] In addition, the current Ic1 is the current supplied by MOS transistor 71 to bipolar transistors 123a~123c. Ic1 is the amount by which current Ic1 increases due to temperature rise. Similarly, current Ic2 is the current supplied by MOS transistor 72 to bipolar transistors 125a~125m. Ic2 is the amount by which the current Ic2 increases due to the rise in temperature. In this case, voltages V1 and V2 satisfy equations (A) and (B).

[0167] That is, voltage V1: V1=(Ic1+ΔIc1)×(r1+R1) (A) Voltage V2: V2=(Ic2+ΔIc2-ΔIL)×(R2+r2) (B)

[0168] As a voltage divider circuit Figure 9 The output circuit 77 divides the voltages V1 and V2. In this embodiment, with Figure 2 Similarly, resistors 81 and 82, with equal resistance values, divide voltages V1 and V2. That is, output circuit 77 outputs a reference voltage Vref1 that satisfies the condition Vref1 = (V1 + V2) / 2.

[0169] In the figure, the positive slope of voltage V1 is greater than the negative slope of voltage V2. Therefore, the reference voltage circuit 52c outputs a reference voltage Vref1 with positive temperature characteristics.

[0170] Here, even if the dimensions of bipolar transistors 123a~123c and bipolar transistors 125a~125m are manufactured to be approximately the same, the temperature characteristics of voltages V1 and V2 may not completely cancel each other out. This is caused by factors such as manufacturing deviations, differences in connection points within the circuit layout, or the bias voltage used for circuit operation not meeting ideal conditions.

[0171] In the above scenario, the desired temperature characteristics can also be obtained by adjusting the number of bits in the bipolar transistor 125 within the reference voltage circuit 52c. Further reference... Figure 11and Figure 12 The above adjustments in the reference voltage circuit 52c will be explained.

[0172] ===Temperature Characteristics Adjustment of Reference Voltage Vref1=== Figure 11 This is an example of the reference voltage Vref1 when the number of switches 124a~124m in the on state changes. In this embodiment, a diagram is shown showing the case where there are m switches 124a~124m.

[0173] The figure shows the number of switches 124a~124m in the on state, Ntr, gradually increasing from 1 to m. As the number of switches 124a~124m in the on state, Ntr, increases, the number of bipolar transistors 125a~125m connected in parallel also increases.

[0174] In this case, V2=(Ic2+) of equation (B) Ic2- In the expression IL)×(R2+r2), Ic2、 IL and R2 increase. Therefore, as the temperature rises, the slope of voltage V2 in the negative direction increases. Consequently, the slope of the voltage Vref=(V1+V2) / 2 output from the reference voltage circuit 52c also changes in the negative direction.

[0175] On the other hand, when the number of switches 124a~124m in the conducting state, Ntr, decreases, the slope of V2 in the negative direction becomes smaller. Therefore, the slope of the voltage Vref=(V1+V2) / 2 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c changes in the positive direction.

[0176] In this embodiment, when Ntr=4, the difference between the reference voltage Vref1 at room temperature (e.g., 25°C) and the reference voltage Vref1 at high temperature (e.g., 175°C) is the smallest.

[0177] Therefore, in the reference voltage circuit 52c of this embodiment, when it is desired that the temperature characteristic of the reference voltage Vref1 has a small temperature dependence between room temperature and high temperature, it is sufficient to select Ntr=4.

[0178] Here, the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c in the embodiment shown in the figure is approximately 1.25V at room temperature, and increases slightly from 1.25V at high temperatures. Therefore, assuming that the desired value of the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c is, for example, 1.2V, the reference voltage Vref1 has a deviation of 1.25 - 1.2 = 0.05V at room temperature.

[0179] The 0.05V deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52c can also be adjusted as follows.

[0180] ===Adjustment of the deviation value of reference voltage Vref1=== Figure 12 An example of the reference voltage Vref1 when the number of switches 133a~133n in the on state changes.

[0181] The figure shows the number of switches 124a~124m in the on state, Ntr, gradually increasing from 1 to m. In this embodiment, it is shown that... Figure 11 The diagram shows the reference voltage Vref1 output from the reference voltage circuit 52c when the adjustment ends at stage Nres=3.

[0182] As the number Nres increases, V2=(Ic2+) in equation (B) Ic2- In the formula IL)×(R2+r2), r2 increases. When the number of items Nres increases, unlike when the number of items Ntr increases, Ic2+ Ic2- The IL factor does not increase. Therefore, when the number of Ntr increases, the effect on the V2 slope is smaller compared to when the number of Nres increases.

[0183] Therefore, when the number of Nres increases, the curve of the reference voltage Vref1 output from the reference voltage circuit 52c shifts in the negative direction. On the other hand, when the number of Nres decreases, the curve of the reference voltage Vref1 output from the reference voltage circuit 52c shifts in the positive direction.

[0184] In the reference voltage circuit 52c of this embodiment, Nres=6 is selected when it is desirable to select a reference voltage Vref1 with a desired voltage value of 1.2V at room temperature and low temperature dependence at high temperature. In this case, the reference voltage circuit 52c outputs a reference voltage Vref1 that is close to 1.2V at room temperature and has low temperature dependence at high temperature.

[0185] Alternatively, switches 131a~131c of the variable resistor 121 can be switched to change the resistance r1, and switches 122a~122c can be switched to change the combined resistance R1 of the bipolar transistors 123a~123c. In this case, V1 = (Ic1 + ... The expression Ic1)×(r1+R1) changes, and the terms that contribute to the positive temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1 also change.

[0186] Therefore, the deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 can also be adjusted by switching switches 131a~131c or 122a~122c to change the voltage V1.

[0187] Here, the more switches 131a~131c or 122a~122c are in the on state, the more the reference voltage Vref1 shifts towards the positive side. On the other hand, the fewer switches 131a~131c or 122a~122c are in the on state, the more the reference voltage Vref1 shifts towards the negative side.

[0188] ===Fine-tuning process performed by reference voltage circuit 52c=== Figure 13 This is an example of the fine-tuning process performed in the reference voltage circuit 52c. Next, fine-tuning will be performed using a device such as a semiconductor tester (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as the tester).

[0189] First, at room temperature (e.g., 25°C), the tester fine-tunes the number of connections of bipolar transistors 125a to 125m to obtain data (S1) that adjusts the reference voltage Vref1 to the desired value (e.g., 1.2V).

[0190] Here, fine-tuning the number of connections for a specified component (e.g., a resistor) by the tester means, for example, that the tester rewrites the data on the IC's memory via a terminal not shown to change the number of connections for the specified component.

[0191] Next, at a high temperature (e.g., 175°C), the tester fine-tunes the number of connections of bipolar transistors 125a to 125m to obtain the data of the reference voltage Vref1 (S2).

[0192] Then, the tester fine-tunes the number of bipolar transistors 125a~125m connected that minimize the difference between the reference voltage Vref1 at room temperature and the output voltage Vref1 at high temperature (S3). Thus, the reference voltage circuit 52 can set the temperature characteristics of the output reference voltage Vref1 to the desired temperature characteristics.

[0193] Then, at room temperature, the tester fine-tunes the connection of resistors 132a~132c, 134a~134n or bipolar transistors 123a~123c (S4). Thus, the reference voltage circuit 52c can adjust the deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 at room temperature from the desired value (e.g., 1.2V).

[0194] As shown above, in the reference voltage circuit 52c, the temperature characteristics and deviation of the output reference voltage Vref1 relative to the desired value can be adjusted.

[0195] ===Summary=== The semiconductor module 10 and voltage generation circuit 41a of this embodiment and the voltage generation circuit 101a of the comparative example have been described above. The semiconductor module 10 includes an integrated circuit 23a that includes a reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0196] Integrated circuit 23a includes a reference voltage circuit 52a. The reference voltage circuit 52a includes: a current source composed of a MOS transistor 71; a current source composed of a MOS transistor 72 connected in parallel with the MOS transistor 71; a resistor 73 with one end connected to the drain electrode of the MOS transistor 71; a bipolar transistor 74 connected to the other end of the resistor 73 and connecting its base and collector; a bipolar transistor 75 connected to the MOS transistor 72 and connecting its base and collector; a resistor 76 connected to the emitter of the bipolar transistor 75; and an output circuit 77 that outputs a voltage based on the voltage V1 output from the drain electrode of the MOS transistor 71 and the voltage V2 output from the drain electrode of the MOS transistor 72.

[0197] Thus, the reference voltage circuit 52a can provide a reference voltage Vref1 with the desired temperature characteristics based on voltages V1 and V2, using a structure with fewer circuit components, smaller size and smaller circuit area.

[0198] Furthermore, the bipolar transistors 74 and 75 in this embodiment are of the same size. Therefore, in both bipolar transistors 74 and 75, the effects of leakage currents Ic1 and Ic2 on voltage V1 increases and voltage V2 decreases occurring within a temperature range above a specified temperature threshold Tth can be adjusted to be approximately the same.

[0199] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the resistance values ​​of resistors 73 and 76 are equal. Therefore, the coefficients of the influence of leakage currents Is1 and Is2 on voltages V1 and V2 can be adjusted equally.

[0200] Integrated circuit 23c includes having Figure 9The reference voltage circuit 52c described herein includes: a current source composed of a MOS transistor 71; a current source composed of a MOS transistor 72 connected in parallel with the MOS transistor 71; a variable resistor 121; bipolar transistors 123a to 123c; multiple switches 124a to 124m; multiple bipolar transistors 125a to 125m; a variable resistor 126; and an output circuit 77 that outputs a reference voltage Vref1 based on the voltage V1 output from the current source composed of the MOS transistor 71 and the voltage V2 output from the current source composed of the MOS transistor 72.

[0201] Here, even when adjusting the dimensions of bipolar transistors 123a~123c and 125a~125m, it is sometimes difficult to adjust the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1. This is caused by factors such as manufacturing deviations, differences in connection points within the circuit layout, or the bias voltage used for circuit operation not meeting ideal conditions. In such cases, voltages V1 and V2 can be adjusted within integrated circuit 23c to obtain a reference voltage Vref1 with the desired temperature characteristics.

[0202] In addition, integrated circuit 23c has multiple switches 122a to 122c connected to the other end of variable resistor 121, and multiple bipolar transistors 123a to 123c are respectively connected to the other end of resistor via multiple switches 122a to 122c.

[0203] Therefore, in integrated circuit 23c, the dimensions of bipolar transistors 123a~123c can be changed to adjust the temperature characteristics of the reference voltage Vref1.

[0204] Furthermore, at least one of the elements provided at the connection points of the multiple switches 122a to 122c or the elements provided at the connection points of the multiple switches 124a to 124m are multiple switches, and the integrated circuit 23c has a switch control circuit 45c for controlling the on and off of the multiple switches.

[0205] Therefore, in integrated circuit 23c, when the dimensions of bipolar transistors 123a~123c or bipolar transistors 125a~125m are fine-tuned, the dimensions can be reset by fine-tuning again.

[0206] In addition, at least one of the components provided at the connection point of the variable resistor 121 and the components provided at the connection point of the variable resistor 126 is a variable resistor, and the switch control circuit 45c controls the resistance value of the variable resistor.

[0207] Therefore, in integrated circuit 23c, the resistance values ​​of variable resistor 121 or variable resistor 126 can be finely adjusted, and by changing their resistance values, the deviation of the reference voltage Vref1 at room temperature from the desired value can be adjusted.

[0208] In addition, the variable resistor 121 or the variable resistor 126 includes a plurality of switches 131a~131c or switches 133a~133n for changing the resistance value of the variable resistor 121 or the variable resistor 126, and the switch control circuit 45c controls the opening and closing of the plurality of switches of the variable resistor 121 or the variable resistor 126.

[0209] Therefore, in integrated circuit 23c, the resistance value of variable resistor 121 or variable resistor 126 can be adjusted discretely. Thus, compared to the case where variable resistor 121 or variable resistor 126 changes continuously, the variation in the resistance value of variable resistor 121 or variable resistor 126 due to noise and current conditions is reduced.

[0210] In addition, a storage circuit 44c is provided to store data D(SW), which includes information representing the states of multiple switches 122a~122c, 124a~124m, 131a~131c, 133a~133n. The switch control circuit 45c controls the on / off state of the multiple switches based on the data D(SW).

[0211] Therefore, when the switch is fine-tuned using integrated circuit 23c, the switch setting can be changed by further fine-tuning.

[0212] Furthermore, the output circuit 77 of this embodiment includes a resistor 81 with one end connected to the drain electrode of the MOS transistor 71, and a resistor 82 with one end connected to the output of the MOS transistor 72 and the other end connected to the other end of the resistor 81. Moreover, the reference voltage Vref1 is the voltage generated at the node between the resistors 81 and 82.

[0213] Therefore, the output circuit 77 in this embodiment is a voltage divider circuit composed of resistors 81 and 82. Thus, the output circuit 77 does not include components such as operational amplifiers that would further increase the circuit area.

[0214] Therefore, the reference voltage circuit 52a of this embodiment can provide a reference voltage Vref1 with the desired temperature characteristics based on voltages V1 and V2, using a structure with fewer circuit components, smaller scale and smaller circuit area.

[0215] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the resistance values ​​of resistors 81 and 82 are equal. Therefore, the output circuit 77 divides voltages V1 and V2 equally. Consequently, when the rise in voltage V1 and the fall in voltage V2 are approximately the same, the reference voltage circuit 52a can output a substantially flat reference voltage Vref1.

[0216] Furthermore, the temperature compensation circuit 51a in this embodiment includes a bipolar transistor 67 through which current Iref flows. In this embodiment, MOS transistors 71 and 72 serve as current sources from which the current supplied from the drain electrode corresponds to the current Iref.

[0217] As a result of leakage current generated in bipolar transistor 67, currents Ic1 and Ic2 increase. That is, when leakage currents Is1 and Is2 in reference voltage circuit 52a increase, currents Ic1 and Ic2 also increase.

[0218] Therefore, within the temperature range of the temperature threshold Tth, the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 satisfy the equation Is1 = Is2 and increase proportionally. As a result, it is easy to control the contribution of the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 to the voltages V1 and V2, and the reference voltage Vref1 output by the reference voltage circuit 52a becomes more stable, which is especially useful when the output reference voltage Vref1 remains basically flat even when the temperature changes.

[0219] In addition, in this embodiment, the current source that provides current to the node to which voltage V1 is applied is MOS transistor 71, and the current source that provides current to the node to which voltage V2 is applied is MOS transistor 72. The source electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 are connected to the power supply line L1a, and a predetermined gate voltage is applied to the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72.

[0220] Therefore, in the reference voltage circuit 52a, the current source providing current to the nodes to which voltages V1 and V2 are applied is MOS transistors 71 and 72, which do not contain bipolar elements. Consequently, in the reference voltage circuit 52a, the current source providing current to the nodes to which voltages V1 and V2 are applied does not generate leakage current as large as that generated in bipolar elements.

[0221] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the MOS transistors 71 and 72 are of equal size. Therefore, the MOS transistors 71 and 72 provide equal current to the nodes to which voltages V1 and V2 are applied.

[0222] In addition, the temperature compensation circuit 51a of the integrated circuit 23a in this embodiment includes a bipolar transistor 67 and a bias voltage source, namely a MOS transistor 62, which provides a bias voltage corresponding to the current value of the current flowing through the bipolar transistor 67. The MOS transistor 62 provides a bias voltage to the gate electrode of each of the MOS transistors 71 and 72.

[0223] Therefore, when leakage currents Is1 and Is2 are generated in bipolar transistors 74 and 75, leakage current is also generated in bipolar transistor 67. Based on the current value of bipolar transistor 67, the voltage supplied from MOS transistor 62 to the gate electrodes of MOS transistors 71 and 72 decreases accordingly. Consequently, the currents Ic1 and Ic2 supplied by MOS transistors 71 and 72 increase.

[0224] That is, as the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 increase, the currents Ic1 and Ic2 also increase. Therefore, within the temperature range of the temperature threshold Tth, the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 satisfy the equation Is1 = Is2 and increase proportionally. As a result, it is easy to control the contribution of the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 to the voltages V1 and V2, and the reference voltage Vref1 becomes more stable, which is especially useful when the output reference voltage Vref1 remains basically flat even when the temperature changes.

[0225] In this embodiment, integrated circuit 23a includes: a current mirror circuit 68 comprising P-type MOS transistors 61 and 62; a current mirror circuit 69 comprising N-type MOS transistors 63 and 64 for which current is supplied by the current mirror circuit 68; a bipolar transistor 65 connected to one end of the current mirror circuit 69 with its base and collector connected; a resistor 66 connected to the other end of the current mirror circuit 69; and a bipolar transistor 67 connected to the resistor 66 with its base and collector connected. Furthermore, the gate electrodes of the MOS transistors 71 and 72 are connected at the nodes between the current mirror circuits 68 and 69.

[0226] Therefore, when the gate voltages of the MOS transistors 71 and 72 in the reference voltage circuit 52a decrease due to the leakage currents Is1 and Is2 of the bipolar transistors 74 and 75, the voltage provided by the temperature compensation circuit 51a also decreases. As a result, the overall operation of the integrated circuit 23a becomes more stable.

[0227] Furthermore, the semiconductor module 10 of this embodiment includes an integrated circuit 23a and an IGBT 31a, i.e., a switching element. The integrated circuit 23a includes a control circuit 43a connected to the gate electrode of the IGBT 31a, which controls the driving of the switching element based on the input signal LIN. The control circuit 43a controls the driving of the switching element based on the input signal LIN and the reference voltage Vref1.

[0228] Thus, the control circuit 43a can control the driving of the switching element based on the reference voltage Vref1 with the desired temperature characteristics provided by the reference voltage circuit 52a.

[0229] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be made based on the above embodiments, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is clear from the description of the claims that the technical scope of the present invention can include such changes or improvements and their equivalents without departing from its spirit.

[0230] Please note that the execution order of actions, processes, steps, and stages in the apparatus, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specification, and drawings can be implemented in any order, unless explicitly stated as "before," "prior to," or the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. The use of terms such as "firstly," "next," etc., in the action flow of the claims, specification, and drawings for ease of explanation does not imply that the actions must be performed in that order. Label Explanation

[0231] 10 Semiconductor Modules 11 Load 12, 22 power supply 21 Semiconductor Chips 23 Integrated Circuits 31 IGBT 32 Diode 41, 101 Voltage Generation Circuit 42 Temperature Detection Circuit 43 Control Circuit 44 Storage Circuit 45 Switch control circuit 51 Temperature Compensation Circuit 52, 111 Reference Voltage Circuit 61~64 MOS transistors 65, 67, 74, 75 bipolar transistors Resistors 66, 73, 76, 81, 82 68, 69 Current mirror circuit 71, 72 MOS transistors 77 Output Circuit 91 substrate 92 N-well region 93 N+ collector region 94 P+ base region 95 N+ emitter region 96 collector terminals 97 base extrema 98 Launching extreme submunitions 121, 126 Variable resistors 122a~122c, 124a~124m switches 123a~123c, 125a~125m bipolar transistors Switches 131a~131c and 133a~133n 132a~132c, 134a~134n resistors.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, characterized in that, include: First current source; A second current source is connected in parallel with the first current source; A first resistor, one end of which is connected to the output of the first current source; A first bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the first resistor and configured as a diode; A second bipolar transistor connected to the output of the second current source and configured as a diode; A second resistor, with one end connected to the second bipolar transistor and the other end grounded; as well as An output circuit that outputs a third voltage as a reference voltage based on the first voltage output from the first current source and the second voltage output from the second current source. The output circuit adds the first voltage and the second voltage to output the third voltage.

2. The integrated circuit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first bipolar transistor and the second bipolar transistor are of the same size.

3. The integrated circuit as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The resistance value of the first resistor is equal to the resistance value of the second resistor.

4. The integrated circuit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The resistance value of the first resistor is equal to the resistance value of the second resistor.

5. An integrated circuit, characterized in that, include: First current source; A second current source is connected in parallel with the first current source; A first resistor, one end of which is connected to the output of the first current source; A first bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the first resistor and configured as a diode; Multiple first trimmer elements connected to the output of the second current source; Multiple second bipolar transistors, each connected to a plurality of the first trimming elements and configured with diodes; A second resistor, one end of which is connected to multiple second bipolar transistors and the other end is grounded; as well as An output circuit that outputs a third voltage as a reference voltage based on the first voltage output from the first current source and the second voltage output from the second current source. The output circuit adds the first voltage and the second voltage to output the third voltage.

6. The integrated circuit as described in claim 5, characterized in that, It has multiple second fine-tuning elements connected to the other end of the first resistor. Multiple first bipolar transistors are connected to the other end of the first resistor via multiple second trimmer elements.

7. The integrated circuit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, At least one of the plurality of first fine-tuning elements and the plurality of second fine-tuning elements is a plurality of switches. The integrated circuit comprises: A first control circuit that controls the on / off state of the plurality of said switches.

8. The integrated circuit as described in claim 7, characterized in that, At least one of the first resistor and the second resistor is a variable resistor. The first control circuit controls the resistance value of the variable resistor.

9. The integrated circuit as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The variable resistor includes a plurality of switches for changing the resistance value of the variable resistor, and the first control circuit controls the opening and closing of the plurality of switches of the variable resistor.

10. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, It includes a storage circuit for storing information representing the states of the plurality of said switches. The first control circuit controls the on / off state of the plurality of switches based on the information.

11. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, It includes a storage circuit for storing information representing the states of the plurality of said switches. The first control circuit controls the on / off state of the plurality of switches based on the information.

12. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, It includes a storage circuit for storing information representing the states of the plurality of said switches. The first control circuit controls the on / off state of the plurality of switches based on the information.

13. The integrated circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The output circuit includes: a third resistor, one end of which is connected to the output of the first current source; and A fourth resistor, one end of which is connected to the output of the second current source and the other end of which is connected to the other end of the third resistor. The third voltage is the voltage generated at the node between the third resistor and the fourth resistor.

14. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that, The resistance values ​​of the third resistor and the fourth resistor are equal.

15. The integrated circuit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Including a third bipolar transistor that generates a reference current, The first current source and the second current source generate a current corresponding to the reference current.

16. The integrated circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The first current source includes a first MOS transistor. The second current source includes a second MOS transistor. The source electrodes of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are respectively connected to the power supply line. A specified voltage is applied to the gate electrode of each of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor.

17. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are of the same size.

18. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, include: Third bipolar transistor; as well as A bias voltage source that generates a bias voltage corresponding to the current value flowing through the third bipolar transistor. The bias voltage source provides the generated bias voltage to the gate electrode of each of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor.

19. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, include: Third bipolar transistor; as well as A bias voltage source that generates a bias voltage corresponding to the current value flowing through the third bipolar transistor. The bias voltage source provides the generated bias voltage to the gate electrode of each of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor.

20. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, include: A first current mirror circuit containing a P-type MOS transistor; A second current mirror circuit includes an N-type MOS transistor that receives current from the first current mirror circuit; The fifth resistor is connected to one end of the second current mirror circuit; A third bipolar transistor connected to the fifth resistor and configured as a diode; as well as A fourth bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the second current mirror circuit and configured as a diode. The gate electrodes of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are connected at the node between the first current mirror circuit and the second current mirror circuit.

21. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, include: A first current mirror circuit containing a P-type MOS transistor; A second current mirror circuit includes an N-type MOS transistor that receives current from the first current mirror circuit; The fifth resistor is connected to one end of the second current mirror circuit; A third bipolar transistor connected to the fifth resistor and configured as a diode; as well as A fourth bipolar transistor connected to the other end of the second current mirror circuit and configured as a diode. The gate electrodes of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are connected at the node between the first current mirror circuit and the second current mirror circuit.

22. A semiconductor module, characterized in that, include: The integrated circuit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21; as well as Switching elements, The integrated circuit includes a second control circuit connected to the control electrode of the switching element and controlling the drive of the switching element based on an input signal. The second control circuit controls the drive of the switching element based on the input signal and the third voltage.

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