# US 11,901,839 B2 · Semiconductor device and power conversion apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,901,839 B2 - Document ID: US11901839B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/872,157 - Filed: 2022-07-25 - Published: 2023-06-01 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-01 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Mao Kawamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11901839B2 ## CPC - H02M 1/14: Arrangements for reducing ripples from DC input or output - H02M 7/4818: {with means for adaptation of resonance frequency, e.g. by modification of capacitance or inductance of resonance circuits} - H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters - H02M 1/088: for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices - H02M 7/537: using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters - H02M 7/53871: {with automatic control of output voltage or current} - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) ## Abstract A semiconductor device includes: a first circuit including semiconductor switching elements connected in parallel, each semiconductor switching element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode and being configured to be controlled, according to a voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, to attain conduction or non-conduction between the second electrode and the third electrode; and a control unit connected to the first electrode of each semiconductor switching element and configured to control the voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode. The semiconductor device is configured to satisfy a first condition that an impedance Zg on a first path between the first electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements is higher, by at least a set value, than an impedance Zs on a third path making connection between the third electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device comprising: a first circuit including semiconductor switching elements connected in parallel, each semiconductor switching element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode and being configured to be controlled, according to a voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, to attain conduction or non-conduction between the second electrode and the third electrode; and a controlling circuitry connected to the first electrode of each semiconductor switching element and configured to control the voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, wherein the semiconductor device is configured to satisfy a first condition that an impedance Zg on a first path between the first electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements is higher, by at least a set value, than an impedance Zs on a third path making connection between the third electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements, the first condition is satisfied on the basis of an impedance at a resonance frequency of a series resonance circuit including: an inductance component on a second path making connection between the second electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements; an inductance component and a resistance component on the first path; and a capacitance component of each semiconductor switching element, an inductive inductance element having a frequency characteristic that an impedance thereof increases at a resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit, is provided on the first path, and the first condition is satisfied on the basis of the impedance at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit including the inductive inductance element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an LC series circuit having a first capacitance component and a first inductance component is provided so as to be connected in parallel to the third path, and the first condition is satisfied by adjusting the first capacitance component and the first inductance component such that an impedance at the LC series circuit is lower than the impedance on the third path at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is satisfied by independently providing the controlling circuitry to the respective semiconductor switching elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the first condition is satisfied by adjusting impedances on power supply paths through each of which power is supplied from a power supply portion to the corresponding controlling circuitry. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein power supply portions each configured to supply power to the corresponding controlling circuitry are independently provided to the respective controlling circuitry, and the first condition is satisfied by adjusting an impedance between the power supply portions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an opening/closing device is provided on the first path, and the first condition is satisfied by controlling the opening/closing device to be in a closed state when each semiconductor switching element is in a conducting state, and controlling the opening/closing device to be in an opened state when the semiconductor switching element is in a non-conducting state. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a connection point between the second electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements on the second path is defined as a first connection point, a connection point between the third electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements on the third path is defined as a second connection point, and impedances on respective fourth paths extending from the first connection point via the respective semiconductor switching elements to the second connection point, are set to be equal to one another. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein a variation in impedance between the fourth paths is set to be within ±3%. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the inductive inductance element is a ferrite bead inductance element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a wide-bandgap semiconductor made from silicon carbide, a gallium nitride-based material, or diamond is used as each semiconductor switching element. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a switching speed of each semiconductor switching element is adjusted to be equal to or higher than 10 kA/us. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the set value is indicated as Zg/Zs which is a multiplication value, for the impedance Zg on the first path, relative to the impedance Zs on the third path, and the multiplication value Zg/Zs is set to 10. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein an LC series circuit having a first capacitance component and a first inductance component is provided so as to be connected in parallel to the third path, and the first condition is satisfied by adjusting the first capacitance component and the first inductance component such that an impedance at the LC series circuit is lower than the impedance on the third path at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an LC series circuit having a first capacitance component and a first inductance component is provided so as to be connected in parallel to the third path, and the first condition is satisfied by adjusting the first capacitance component and the first inductance component such that an impedance at the LC series circuit is lower than the impedance on the third path at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is satisfied by independently providing the controlling circuitry to the respective semiconductor switching elements. ### Claim 16 A semiconductor device comprising: a first circuit including semiconductor switching elements connected in parallel, each semiconductor switching element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode and being configured to be controlled, according to a voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, to attain conduction or non-conduction between the second electrode and the third electrode; and a controlling circuitry connected to the first electrode of each semiconductor switching element and configured to control the voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, wherein the semiconductor device is configured to satisfy a first condition that an impedance Zg on a first path between the first electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements is higher, by at least a set value, than an impedance Zs on a third path making connection between the third electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements, the first condition is satisfied on the basis of an impedance at a resonance frequency of a series resonance circuit including: an inductance component on a second path making connection between the second electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements; an inductance component and a resistance component on the first path; and a capacitance component of each semiconductor switching element, the set value is indicated as Zg/Zs which is a multiplication value, for the impedance Zg on the first path, relative to the impedance Zs on the third path, and the multiplication value Zg/Zs is set to 10. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein an LC series circuit having a first capacitance component and a first inductance component is provided so as to be connected in parallel to the third path, and the first condition is satisfied by adjusting the first capacitance component and the first inductance component such that an impedance at the LC series circuit is lower than the impedance on the third path at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit. ### Claim 18 A power conversion apparatus comprising: a power converter having phases and configured to perform power conversion between DC and AC; and a semiconductor device provided to each of the phases, wherein the semiconductor device comprising: a first circuit including semiconductor switching elements connected in parallel, each semiconductor switching element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode and being configured to be controlled, according to a voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, to attain conduction or non-conduction between the second electrode and the third electrode; and a controlling circuitry connected to the first electrode of each semiconductor switching element and configured to control the voltage between the first electrode and the third electrode, wherein the semiconductor device is configured to satisfy a first condition that an impedance Zg on a first path between the first electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements is higher, by at least a set value, than an impedance Zs on a third path making connection between the third electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements, wherein the controlling circuitry controls the power converter to perform power conversion between DC and AC, the first condition is satisfied on the basis of an impedance at a resonance frequency of a series resonance circuit including: an inductance component on a second path making connection between the second electrodes of the respective semiconductor switching elements; an inductance component and a resistance component on the first path; and a capacitance component of each semiconductor switching element, an inductive inductance element having a frequency characteristic that an impedance thereof increases at a resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit, is provided on the first path, and the first condition is satisfied on the basis of the impedance at the resonance frequency of the series resonance circuit including the inductive inductance element.