Semiconductor device and method of driving transistors

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.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.