Semiconductor Current Sensor Isolation Trench for Leakage Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in reliably sensing current and temperature to prevent overcurrent or overtemperature conditions, leading to potential short circuits due to parasitic leakage currents between active device and current sensor regions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a supplementary trench in the transition region between the active device and current sensor regions, which is electrically isolated from both regions, to suppress leakage currents and ensure accurate temperature measurement when the transistors are switched off.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the active device region and current sensor region are placed adjacent to each other for compact design, then device area is reduced, but parasitic leakage currents occur between the regions causing unreliable sensing
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct active device region and current sensor region separated by a transition region with a supplementary trench. This segmentation physically isolates the two functional regions to prevent parasitic leakage currents while maintaining compact overall device area.
Solution Approach 2:
A transition region with a supplementary trench is introduced as an intermediary structure between the active device region and current sensor region. This intermediary element acts as an electrical isolation barrier that prevents harmful leakage currents while allowing the regions to remain adjacent for compact design.
2Device complexity
If the gate trenches of active device and current sensor are electrically connected for simplified structure, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but leakage currents compromise measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The gate trench system is segmented into separate electrical domains. The supplementary trench creates distinct electrical isolation between the active device gate electrodes and current sensor gate electrodes, ensuring that sensing measurements are not affected by leakage currents despite the simplified adjacent structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The supplementary trench with its insulating layer serves as an intermediary barrier that electrically isolates the gate electrode systems of the active device and current sensor. This intermediary structure maintains measurement precision while preserving structural simplicity.
3Ease of manufacture
If no supplementary isolation trench is used to reduce manufacturing steps, then ease of manufacture is improved, but parasitic leakage currents cause short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
A supplementary trench filled with insulating material is introduced as an intermediary isolation structure between the active device region and current sensor region. This addition provides the necessary electrical isolation to prevent parasitic leakage currents while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful parasitic leakage current paths are extracted or removed from the device by introducing the supplementary isolation trench. This extraction of the harmful electrical connection pathway prevents short circuits while the trench structure integrates into the existing manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and an active device region having gate trenches formed at a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a current sensor region having gate trenches formed at the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a transition region arranged between the active device region and the current sensor region. The transition region includes a supplementary trench formed at the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The supplementary trench separates the gate trenches of the active device region from the gate trenches of the current sensor region. An electrode formed in the supplementary trench is neither electrically connected to gate electrodes formed in the gate trenches of the active device region nor electrically connected to gate electrodes formed in the gate trenches of the current sensor region.