A semiconductor chip and a circuit and a method for electrically testing a semiconductor chip are disclosed, which pertain to the field of semiconductor technology. The semiconductor chip includes: a first electrical connection point, configured to connect a first pole of a force power supply in a Kelvin testing circuit; and a second electrical connection point, configured to connect a first terminal of a detecting device in the Kelvin testing circuit, wherein the first electrical connection point and the second electrical connection point are connected with each other within the semiconductor chip, and the first pole of the force power supply and the first terminal of the detecting device are arranged on the same side of the Kelvin testing circuit. According to the present disclosure, the semiconductor chip can be electrically tested with an enhanced accuracy and no impact from external contact and conduction resistances.

A method for determining failure of a power element for use in an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a power element and a detection circuit. The method includes the steps of: obtaining a temperature-calculation model of the power element, and obtaining a parameterized temperature-calculation model of a power-element parameter and a parameterized temperature of the power element; detecting load information and the power-element parameter by the detection circuit; calculating a modeled temperature of the power element according to the load information and the temperature-calculation model, and calculating the parameterized temperature of the power element according to the power-element parameter and the parameterized temperature-calculation model; determining whether an error between the modeled temperature and the parameterized temperature exceeds a permitted range; and determining that the power element has failed in response to the error exceeding the permitted range.

A measurement circuit device for a vehicle includes a power transistor and a voltage measurement circuit coupled to the power transistor that measures a voltage across the power transistor. The measurement circuit device also includes a microcontroller that determines a junction temperature using the measured voltage and adjusts a capacity of the power transistor based on the determined junction temperature. In some embodiments, the measurement circuit device may include a clamping device that clamps the voltage across the transistor when the transistor is off. The measurement circuit device may also include an analog-to-digital converter that converts the measured voltage from an analog value to a digital value.

The present disclosure describes a power stage. The power stage includes a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and a driver IC coupled to the MOSFET. The driver IC is configured to switch the MOSFET to an ON-state so that MOSFET conducts a current. The driver IC includes a current monitor circuit that outputs a current monitor signal, which corresponds to the current through the MOSFET when it is in the ON-state. The current monitor signal includes an error caused by a temperature difference between the MOSFET and the driver IC. As a result, the driver IC further includes a compensation circuit that is configured to determine a thermal gradient across the driver IC, and based on the thermal gradient, adjust the current monitor circuit to reduce the error.

A semiconductor die includes: a SiC substrate; power and current sense transistors integrated in the substrate such that the current sense transistor mirrors current flow in the main power transistor; a gate terminal electrically connected to gate electrodes of both transistors; a drain terminal electrically connected to a drain region in the substrate and which is common to both transistors; a source terminal electrically connected to source regions of the power transistor; a dual mode sense terminal; and a doped resistor region in the substrate between the transistors. The dual mode sense terminal is electrically connected to source regions of the current sense transistor. The doped resistor region has an opposite conductivity type as the source regions of both transistors and is configured as a temperature sense resistor that electrically connects the source terminal to the dual mode sense terminal.

Systems, devices and methods are provided herein for measuring a junction temperature of a transistor. A system includes a power inverter configured to supply power to a load, the power inverter including the transistor that is configured to switch between an on-state and an off-state and generate a load current during the on-state; a current sensor configured to measure the load current; a voltage transit slope detection circuit configured to determine a voltage transit slope corresponding to a voltage across the transistor during a turn-off period of the transistor during which the transistor is in the off-state; and a processing unit configured to determine the junction temperature of the transistor based on the measured load current and the determined voltage transit slope.

The test circuit monitoring positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) includes a PBTI monitoring unit driven according to a power voltage, the PBTI monitoring unit outputting an output voltage having a potential that is equal to or lower than a potential of the power voltage according to a PBTI degradation rate of an NMOS transistor; and a degradation determiner for determining the PBTI degradation rate by comparing the potential of the output voltage to the potential of the power voltage.

A semiconductor device includes a change detection circuit and a change determination circuit. The change detection circuit generates a detection voltage having a voltage level varied in accordance with a change of a transistor. The change determination circuit enables a determination signals based on the voltage level of the detection voltage.

A circuit for measuring temperature of an external switch is disclosed. The circuit includes a variable resistor, a switch coupled to the variable resistor in series, a fixed value resistor coupled to the variable resistor and a comparator coupled between the variable resistor and the fixed value resistor. The circuit is configured to compare voltage drop between a drain and a source of the external switch when the external switch is in ON state with voltage drop at the variable resistor and output a signal to indicate an overtemperature based on the comparing.

An example semiconductor wafer includes a semiconductor layer, a dielectric layer disposed on the semiconductor layer, and a layer of the metal disposed on the dielectric layer. An example method of determining an effective work function of a metal on the semiconductor wafer includes determining a surface barrier voltage of the semiconductor wafer, and determining a metal effective work function of the semiconductor wafer based, at least in part, on the surface barrier voltage.