# US 8,785,931 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 8,785,931 B2 - Document ID: US8785931B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/818,993 - Filed: 2011-08-26 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-03 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Shinichi Kinouchi; Hiroshi Nakatake; Yuji Ebiike; Akihiko Furukawa; Masayuki Imaizumi - Inventors: Shinichi Kinouchi; Hiroshi Nakatake; Yuji Ebiike; Akihiko Furukawa; Masayuki Imaizumi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785931B2 ## CPC - H10W 40/00: Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) - G01K 7/01: using semiconducting elements having PN junctions (G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence) - H10D 12/031: {of IGBTs} - H10D 30/0291: {of vertical DMOS [VDMOS] FETs} - H10D 30/635: {having no inversion channels, e.g. vertical accumulation channel FETs [ACCUFET] or normally-on vertical IGFETs} - H10D 30/669: {having voltage-sensing or current-sensing structures, e.g. emulator sections or overcurrent sensing cells} - H10D 62/8325: {Silicon carbide} - H10D 84/141: {VDMOS having built-in components} - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract A semiconductor device capable of rapidly and accurately sensing the information regarding the temperature of a semiconductor transistor contained therein. A MOSFET includes a plurality of cells, and includes a main cell group including a cell for supplying a current to a load among the plurality of cells, and a sense cell group including a cell for sensing temperature information regarding the temperature of the MOSFET thereamong. The main cell group and the sense cell group have different temperature characteristics showing changes in electrical characteristics to changes in temperature. A temperature sensing circuit senses the temperature of the MOSFET based on, for example, a value of a main current flowing through the main cell group and a value of a sense current flowing through the sense cell group. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device, comprising: a semiconductor transistor being composed of a plurality of cells; and a sensor circuit sensing temperature information regarding the temperature of said semiconductor transistor, wherein said semiconductor transistor includes a main cell group including a cell for supplying a current to a load among said plurality of cells, and a sense cell group including a cell for sensing said temperature information thereamong, said main cell group and said sense cell group have different temperature characteristics showing changes in electrical characteristics to changes in temperature of said semiconductor transistor, and said sensor circuit senses said temperature information based on a value of a main current flowing through said main cell group and a value of a sense current flowing through said sense cell group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: main current information sensing means sensing main current information regarding said main current; and sense current information sensing means sensing sense current information regarding said sense current, wherein said sensor circuit is configured to: obtain related information showing the relationship among the value of said main current, the value of said sense current, and the temperature of said semiconductor transistor in advance; obtain the value of said main current from said main current information sensed by said main current information sensing means and obtain the value of said sense current from said sense current information sensed by said sense current information sensing means; and sense the temperature of said semiconductor transistor as said temperature information based on the obtained value of said main current, the obtained value of said sense current, and said related information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said sense cell group is set to have a higher threshold voltage than a threshold voltage of said main cell group. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said main cell group and said sense cell group have different channel structures. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein said main cell group and said sense cell group differ in impurity concentration of a channel region forming said semiconductor transistor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit controlling said semiconductor transistor based on said temperature information sensed by said sensor circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor transistor is formed of a wide bandgap semiconductor having a larger bandgap than a bandgap of silicon. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein said wide bandgap semiconductor comprises a silicon carbide, a gallium-nitride-based material, or diamond. ### Claim 9 A semiconductor device, comprising: a semiconductor transistor being composed of a plurality of cells; and a sensor circuit sensing temperature information regarding the temperature of said semiconductor transistor, wherein said semiconductor transistor includes a main cell group including a cell for supplying a current to a load among said plurality of cells, a sense cell group including a cell for sensing said temperature information thereamong, and another sense cell group including at least a part of the cells other than the cells included in said main cell group and said sense cell group thereamong, said another sense cell group being used for sensing said temperature information, said main cell group and said sense cell group have different temperature characteristics showing changes in electrical characteristics to changes in temperature of said semiconductor transistor, said sense cell group and said another sense cell group have different temperature characteristics showing changes in electrical characteristics to changes in temperature of said semiconductor transistor, and said sensor circuit senses said temperature information based on a value of a sense current flowing through said sense cell group and a value of another sense current flowing through said another sense cell group. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said sense cell group and said another sense cell group have different channel structures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said main cell group and said another sense cell group have the same channel structure, and said sensor circuit further has a function of sensing the value of the main current flowing through said main cell group based on the value of said another sense current flowing through said another sense cell group. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said sensor circuit senses a sense current ratio that is a ratio of the value of said another sense current to the value of said sense current as said temperature information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said sense cell group is set to have a higher threshold voltage than a threshold voltage of said main cell group. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said main cell group and said sense cell group have different channel structures. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said main cell group and said sense cell group differ in impurity concentration of a channel region forming said semiconductor transistor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, further comprising a control circuit controlling said semiconductor transistor based on said temperature information sensed by said sensor circuit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said semiconductor transistor is formed of a wide bandgap semiconductor having a larger bandgap than a bandgap of silicon. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The semiconductor device according to claim 17, wherein said wide bandgap semiconductor comprises a silicon carbide, a gallium-nitride-based material, or diamond.