A semiconductor device, including: an output element having a gate, the output element being configured to perform switching to thereby operate a load of the semiconductor device in accordance with a drive signal applied to the gate thereof; a current monitoring element having a gate and a sense emitter, the current monitoring element being configured to monitor a current flowing through the output element; and a voltage division circuit, which is connected between the gate of the output element and the sense emitter of the current monitoring element, which divides a voltage of the drive signal applied to the gate of the output element, and which applies an obtained voltage to the gate of the current monitoring element.

Disclosed examples include systems to determine an on-state impedance of a high voltage transistor, and measurement circuits to measure the drain voltage of a drain terminal of the high voltage transistor during switching, including an attenuator circuit to generate an attenuator output signal representing a voltage across the high voltage transistor when the high voltage transistor is turned on, and a differential amplifier to provide an amplified sense voltage signal according to the attenuator output signal. The attenuator circuit includes a clamp transistor coupled with the drain terminal of the high voltage transistor to provide a sense signal to a first internal node, a resistive voltage divider circuit to provide the attenuator output signal based on the sense signal, and a first clamp circuit to limit the sense signal voltage when the high voltage transistor is turned off.

The present invention provides a system and method for measuring an intermittent operating life (IOL) of a GaN-based device under test (DUT) is provided. The system is operable in a stressing mode, a cooling mode and a measure mode. A power regulation approach is adopted to ensure that DUT of the same thermal resistance have same temperature increase during the IOL test. The present invention eliminates the influence caused by parasitic parameters of testing circuits and the inconsistency of threshold voltage and drain-source resistance of the device itself. Through power regulation, it is the junction temperature of the device, not the housing temperature of the device, being directly controlled. Therefore, higher measurement accuracy can be achieved.

A method performed in a circuit is provided. The circuit comprises a semiconductor switch having first, second and third terminals and being arranged such that a signal applied at the first terminal controls a current between the second and third terminals. The circuit further comprises monitoring circuitry comprising a first diode and charge determining circuitry, the third terminal of the semiconductor switch being connected to the monitoring circuitry and to supply circuitry. The method comprises determining, by the charge determining circuitry, an indication of an amount of electrical charge that has, consequent to a switching event at the semiconductor switch, flown through the first diode under reverse recovery conditions.

A method of operating a wind converter is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of forecasted datasets. The forecasted datasets include event signals for the wind converter during fast transient operating conditions (OCs) and operational data for the wind converter having a low sampling rate. The method further includes estimating a converter life consumption during normal OCs and a converter life consumption during the fast transient OCs. Further, the method includes computing a total converter life consumption of the wind converter. Moreover, the method includes predicting, using a remaining useful life (RUL) prediction module, an RUL for the wind converter based on the total converter life consumption. The method further includes adjusting operation of the wind converter by adjusting operating variables of the wind converter.

The invention relates to a method for determining an output voltage of a transistor (10), the transistor (10) comprising an input electrode (G), a first output electrode (C) and a second output electrode (E), the potential of the first output electrode (C) being higher than the potential of the second output electrode (E), the output voltage being the difference in potential between the first output electrode (C) and the second output electrode (E), the method comprising:

a step for measuring the evolution over time of a control voltage of the transistor (10), the control voltage being the difference in potential between the input electrode (G) and the second output electrode (E), and determining the output voltage from the measured control voltage.

Disclosed examples include systems to determine an on-state impedance of a high voltage transistor, and measurement circuits to measure the drain voltage of a drain terminal of the high voltage transistor during switching, including an attenuator circuit to generate an attenuator output signal representing a voltage across the high voltage transistor when the high voltage transistor is turned on, and a differential amplifier to provide an amplified sense voltage signal according to the attenuator output signal. The attenuator circuit includes a clamp transistor coupled with the drain terminal of the high voltage transistor to provide a sense signal to a first internal node, a resistive voltage divider circuit to provide the attenuator output signal based on the sense signal, and a first clamp circuit to limit the sense signal voltage when the high voltage transistor is turned off.

A method includes measuring an impedance of a shunt as a function of frequency and converting the impedance to an admittance in a time domain. The method further includes connecting the shunt in a circuit and measuring voltage data across the shunt over a predetermined interval. The method includes outputting a signal indicative of a current through the shunt derived from the voltage data convolved with the admittance. The method may be implemented in a controller configured to interface with the shunt.

Disclosed is a non-invasive online monitoring circuit for an on-state saturation voltage of a power semiconductor, including one or more basic units; each basic unit includes a normally-ON switching device, a diode, and a clamping voltage supply; a gate of the normally-ON switching device is connected to a positive electrode of the clamping voltage supply; the positive electrode of the diode is connected to a source of the normally-ON switching device, and a negative electrode of the diode is connected to the gate of the normally-ON switching device; the drain of the normally-ON switching device and the negative electrode of the clamping voltage supply serve as input terminals of the monitoring circuit for accessing the power semiconductor under test; and the source of the normally-ON switching device and the negative electrode of the clamping voltage supply serve as output terminals of the monitoring circuit.

A circuit for a digital switched output for connecting a load which can be connected between the switched output and another output includes at least one semiconductor switch arranged with a clearance between contacts between a supply voltage connection and the switched output. At least one semiconductor switch is connected to the switched output via an inductor wherein a connecting node between the semiconductor switch and the inductor is connected to the other output via a free-running element. An output module provides automated control of the circuit. A method for testing the circuit includes controlling the semiconductor switch for operation of the load, interrupting the controlling, operating the load with energy stored in the inductor, determining whether voltage is prevented from being supplied to the load, and further controlling the semiconductor switch for further operation of the load.