Power semiconductor with variable parameters
AssigneeABB Schweiz AG
InventorsPeter Streit, Oscar Apeldoorn, Peter Steimer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The power semiconductor device has a pn junction between two power electrodes (2, 3). A control electrode (4) is arranged in the region of one of the two power electrodes (3). A current can be fed in via the control electrode, which current can be used to raise the current through the power electrodes. As a result, the reverse current can be raised in the blocking state of the device. This allows a plurality of the power semiconductor devices according to the invention to be connected in series without additional snubber circuitry for protection against overvoltages.
Claims10
A power semiconductor device, in particular a power diode, comprising:
- a semiconductor body (1) having a first main area and a second main area arranged opposite to the first main area, the semiconductor body being divided into two zones (6;
- 71, 72), the two zones being of different conductivity types and forming a pn junction at the plane of intersection, at least one of the two zones having an inner region (71) that adjoins the plane of intersection and has a lower doping than the remaining region (72) of said zone;
- a first power electrode (2) on the first main area and a second power electrode (3) on the second main area, the power electrodes respectively covering at least a part of the main areas and being electrically conductively connected to a respective zone (6;
- 71, 72);
- characterized in that
- the power semiconductor device comprises means for dynamically influencing the semiconductor parameters which characterize the deviation from the ideal diode by a feeding of current into a control electrode (4).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.