Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor device and method of driving transistors

US6756623B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 17, 2002
Grant dateJun 29, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K2217/0036
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

When a driving unit (100) charges gate input capacitance (6) of an IGBT (7), the gate input capacitance (6) accumulates electric charges which are accumulated therein when the driving unit (100) discharges the gate input capacitance (6). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of electric charges to be supplied to the gate input capacitance (6) by the driving unit (100) until the charge of the gate input capacitance (6) is completed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the required power capacity of a control power supply (15a). Further, since the electric charges accumulated in the gate input capacitance (6) are effectively used, it is possible to ensure power savings of a semiconductor device. Thus provided are a semiconductor device and a method of driving a transistor, in which electric charges accumulated in gate input capacitance of an insulated gate transistor are effectively utilized, to reduce required power capacity of a power supply for driving the transistor and ensure power savings of the semiconductor device on the whole.

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