HEMT Short-Circuit Detection Circuit for Breakdown Prevention

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Power semiconductor devices, particularly high-electron mobility transistors, are prone to breakdown due to short-circuit conditions, leading to potential failure and reduced reliability.

Innovation Solution

Incorporation of a short-circuit detection circuit and protection circuit within the semiconductor device to monitor gate and drain voltages, reducing the gate voltage to prevent breakdown during short-circuit conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If a high-electron mobility transistor is used to process high voltages and currents, then the power processing capability is improved, but the device becomes susceptible to breakdown under short-circuit conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower processing capabilityVSAvoidbreakdown resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The protection circuit performs preliminary action by detecting short-circuit conditions through monitoring the drain-source voltage and gate-source voltage, and preemptively reducing the gate voltage before breakdown can occur. The detection circuit continuously monitors voltage levels and triggers protection mechanisms in advance, preventing the harmful short-circuit current from reaching dangerous levels that would cause transistor breakdown.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The protection mechanism implements feedback by continuously monitoring the drain-source voltage (Vds) and gate-source voltage (Vgs) of the high-electron mobility transistor. When the detection circuit senses that Vds exceeds a first reference voltage and Vgs exceeds a second reference voltage simultaneously, it triggers the protection circuit to reduce the gate voltage, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains device reliability under varying operating conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If protection circuits are added to prevent short-circuit breakdown, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshort-circuit protectionVSAvoidcircuit structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protection circuit merges multiple functions into a unified structure that monitors both drain-source voltage and gate-source voltage simultaneously. The detection circuit combines the monitoring of Vds and Vgs along with the protection triggering logic into an integrated circuit block, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive protection capabilities against short-circuit conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The protection circuit is designed with multi-functionality to handle various short-circuit scenarios. The same detection and protection mechanism works for different operating conditions by monitoring the simultaneous exceedance of voltage thresholds, making the protection system universally applicable across different power levels and operating modes without requiring separate protection circuits for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250309882A1Semiconductor device and power semiconductor system including the same

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A semiconductor device includes: a high-electron mobility transistor; a short-circuit detection circuit configured to output a short-circuit protection voltage based on a gate voltage of the high-electron mobility transistor and a drain voltage of the high-electron mobility transistor; and a protection circuit configured to reduce the gate voltage of the high-electron mobility transistor based on the short-circuit protection voltage.