# US 12,009,822 B2 · Semiconductor device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,009,822 B2 - Document ID: US12009822B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/720,387 - Filed: 2022-04-14 - Published: 2023-03-09 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-09-07 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Kazuhiro Kawahara; Shinji Sakai; Teruaki Nagahara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009822B2 ## CPC - H03K 3/012: Modifications of generator to improve response time or to decrease power consumption - H03K 17/14: Modifications for compensating variations of physical values, e.g. of temperature - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A semiconductor device includes: a first terminal inputting a first voltage from outside; a drive unit using the first voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting a drive signal; a switching device driven by the drive signal; a second terminal separated from the first terminal and inputting a second voltage from outside; a comparator using a voltage generated from the second voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting an output signal when a voltage generated from the first voltage is less than or equal to a reference potential; and a shut-off switch shutting off a transmission of the drive signal to the switching device from the drive unit in response to the output signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device comprising: a first terminal inputting a first voltage from outside the semiconductor device; a drive unit using the first voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting a drive signal; a switching device driven by the drive signal; a second terminal separated from the first terminal and inputting a second voltage, the second voltage being input even when the first voltage is turned off; a comparator using a voltage generated from the second voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting an output signal when a voltage generated from the first voltage is less than or equal to a reference potential, the voltage generated from the first voltage being applied to an input terminal of the comparator; and a shut-off switch shutting off a transmission of the drive signal to the switching device from the drive unit in response to the output signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, comprising a low voltage integrated circuit (LVIC) including the drive unit, a high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) using the second voltage as a power supply voltage, and an internal power supply generating a power supply voltage for the comparator from the power supply voltage of the HVIC. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal is a terminal P inputting a current from a high-voltage power supply, and the power supply voltage for the comparator is generated from the current input from the terminal P. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a terminal P inputting a voltage from a high-voltage power supply, and a logic circuit combining the output voltage from the comparator with a voltage generated from the voltage input from the terminal P, wherein the shut-off switch shuts down the drive signal in response to an output from the logic circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6, comprising a low voltage integrated circuit (LVIC) including the drive unit, a high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) using the second voltage as a power supply voltage, and an internal power supply generating a power supply voltage for the comparator and the logic circuit from the second voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein, while the power supply voltage is supplied to the comparator, the comparator outputs the output signal whenever the voltage generated from the first voltage is less than or equal to the reference potential. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal is not connected to the first terminal inside the semiconductor device. ### Claim 13 A semiconductor device comprising: a first terminal inputting a first voltage from outside the semiconductor device; a drive unit using the first voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting a drive signal; a switching device driven by the drive signal; a second terminal separated from the first terminal and inputting a second voltage; a comparator using a voltage generated from the second voltage as a power supply voltage and outputting an output signal when a voltage generated from the first voltage is less than or equal to a reference potential, the voltage generated from the first voltage being applied to an input terminal of the comparator; and a shut-off switch shutting off a transmission of the drive signal to the switching device from the drive unit in response to the output signal, wherein the second voltage is a microcontroller (MICON) signal input from a system MICON located outside the semiconductor device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the switching device is formed of a wide-band-gap semiconductor.