Semiconductor Sense Circuit Region Layout for Current Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor devices face challenges in effectively utilizing chip area and maintaining current detecting sensitivity, especially when cracks occur at the chip ends, leading to inefficiencies in current detection and measurement accuracy.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor device incorporates a sense circuit region surrounded by other semiconductor elements, with a main circuit source electrode covering the sense circuit region and providing a sense circuit source wiring in the lower layer of the main circuit source electrode, allowing for efficient chip area utilization and improved current measurement accuracy by separating the sense circuit source wiring from the main circuit source wiring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the current detecting element is arranged in the center of the chip to maintain detection sensitivity, then the reliability against cracks is improved, but the chip area utilization becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a planar arrangement to a three-dimensional stacked architecture. The sense circuit is placed in a lower layer while the main circuit occupies the upper layer, allowing both circuits to coexist without spatial interference. This vertical separation enables the sense circuit to be positioned optimally for detection sensitivity while the main circuit utilizes the remaining chip area efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The chip is divided into distinct functional layers: a sense circuit region for current detection and a main circuit region for power processing. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently - the sense circuit region can be positioned for maximum detection sensitivity while the main circuit region utilizes the remaining area for efficient power conversion.
2Measurement precision
If the sense circuit region is separated from the main circuit region, then the current measurement accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sense circuit and main circuit into a single integrated semiconductor device with a unified substrate and shared packaging. While the circuits are functionally separated into different regions and layers, they remain part of one device structure, avoiding the complexity of multiple discrete components and simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The sense circuit is nested within the overall device structure as a distinct region that is surrounded by or integrated with the main circuit region. This nested arrangement allows the sense circuit to be isolated for accurate measurement while remaining part of the unified device, avoiding the need for completely separate external measurement systems.
3Reliability
If the main circuit source electrode covers the sense circuit region, then the contact resistance is reduced, but the positioning flexibility of the sense circuit is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the positioning constraint by transitioning to a three-dimensional stacked architecture. The main circuit source electrode is positioned in the upper layer while the sense circuit is located in the lower layer. This vertical separation allows the sense circuit to be positioned optimally for detection sensitivity without being constrained by the horizontal positioning requirements of the main circuit source electrode.
Data Source
AI summary
Semiconductor device includes an element region in which the semiconductor element is provided, a semiconductor substrate including an outer peripheral region surrounding the element region, a plurality of semiconductor elements provided in an array-like in the element region. The element region includes a main circuit region in which the main circuit of semiconductor device is formed, and a sense circuit region in which a sense circuit for measuring the drain current flowing through the semiconductor element of the main circuit region is formed. Semiconductor element of the sense circuit region is surrounded by other semiconductor elements. Sense circuit region is covered with a main circuit source electrode which is connected to the semiconductor element of the main circuit region.