Patent · US Expired

Method and device for disconnecting a cascode circuit with voltage-controlled semiconductor switches

US6614281B1 · kind B1 · utility

35Cited by

2References

10Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

Eric Baudelot · Weisendorf, DE
Manfred Bruckmann · Wendelstein, DE
Heinz Mitlehner · Uttenreuth, DE
Benno Weis · Hemhofen, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Dec 6, 2001
Grant date	Sep 2, 2003
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Dec 6, 2021

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH03K17/567
WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for turning off a cascode circuit comprising a series circuit formed by a low-blocking-capability and high-blocking-capability semiconductor switch, are described. When a turn-off command arrives, the gate voltage of the low-blocking-capability semiconductor switch is controlled in such a way that its drain voltage is held constant in the active range of the low-blocking-capability semiconductor switch. Consequently, an impermissible overvoltage at high potential of the cascode circuit at low potential is detected and actively limited.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.