An over temperature protection circuit includes a temperature sensor unit, a detection unit, and a filter unit. The temperature sensor unit detects a temperature and outputs a temperature detection signal. The detection unit has a first threshold for determining whether a temperature state is a normal state, and a second threshold for determining whether the temperature state is an over temperature state; and operates with respect to an internal ground. The detection unit determines the normal state or the over temperature state, based on the level of the temperature detection signal with respect to the first threshold and the second threshold; and outputs a state signal. The filter unit filters out a change of the state signal, produced in accordance with a change of the internal ground.

To provide a voltage regulator capable of switching a voltage of an output terminal from an internal voltage to an external voltage while suppressing an increase in circuit scale. The voltage regulator includes a voltage output circuit configured to generate a constant internal voltage lower than an external voltage applied to an input terminal from the external voltage and supplying the constant internal voltage to an output terminal, a temperature sensing circuit configured to decrease an output voltage of an output node thereof according to a rise in temperature, an overheat detection circuit connected to the output node of the temperature sensing circuit and a test terminal, and a voltage detection circuit connected to the output node of the temperature sensing circuit and the test terminal.

The maximum time that external components of a switch mode power supply over-conduct is determined by an actual ambient temperature at which the devices are operating before they are turned on. Their operation time is thus extended when temperatures are low and decreased when temperatures are high.

With an IC including a driver that drives a large current, its characteristics may be deteriorated or the IC may be broken by heat generated by the large current. By providing a plurality of sensors and disposing some of the sensors so as to be close to an output driver that flows a large current, which is a source of heat generation, an increase in the temperature of the IC can be rapidly detected, and the deterioration of the characteristics of the IC can be prevented by accurately actuating an overheating protection function based on a result of detection. Alternatively, breakage of the IC can be prevented by suppressing overheating.

A solid-state circuit protector includes a first power semiconductor device having an ON resistance that increases with increasing temperature and a second power semiconductor device connected in parallel with the first power semiconductor device having an ON resistance that decreases with increasing temperature. During times when abnormally high currents are flowing through the solid-state circuit protector, the second power semiconductor is switched ON so that some or all of the current is diverted through it, thus protecting the first power semiconductor device from being damaged due to overheating. The first power semiconductor device is either switched OFF, allowing it to cool in anticipation of a lighter load, or is configured to remain ON so that it shares the burden of carrying the high current with the parallel-connected second power semiconductor device yet operates cooler and at a lower ON resistance since it is not required to pass the full current.

A semiconductor device 100 has a power transistor N1 of vertical structure and a temperature detection element 10a configured to detect abnormal heat generation by the power transistor N1. The power transistor N1 includes a first electrode 208 formed on a first main surface side (front surface side) of a semiconductor substrate 200, a second electrode 209 formed on a second main surface side (rear surface side) of the semiconductor substrate 200, and pads 210a-210f positioned unevenly on the first electrode 208. The temperature detection element 10a is formed at a location of the highest heat generation by the power transistor N1, the location (near the pad 210b where it is easiest for current to be concentrated) being specified using the uneven positioning of the pads 210a-210f.

To provide a voltage regulator capable of switching a voltage of an output terminal from an internal voltage to an external voltage while suppressing an increase in circuit scale. The voltage regulator includes a voltage output circuit configured to generate a constant internal voltage lower than an external voltage applied to an input terminal from the external voltage and supplying the constant internal voltage to an output terminal, a temperature sensing circuit configured to decrease an output voltage of an output node thereof according to a rise in temperature, an overheat detection circuit connected to the output node of the temperature sensing circuit and a test terminal, and a voltage detection circuit connected to the output node of the temperature sensing circuit and the test terminal.

An electronic device and a temperature detection device thereof are provided. The temperature detection device includes a differential stage circuit and an output stage circuit. The differential stage circuit includes a first differential end and a second differential end, and includes a cross-coupled transistor element, a first resistor and a second transistor. The cross-coupled transistor element receives a first voltage. The first resistor is coupled between the first differential end and a second voltage, and the first resistor is poly-silicon resistor. The second resistor is coupled between the second differential end and the second voltage, and the second resistor is a silicon carbide diffusion resistor. The output stage circuit generates a driving voltage according to a first control voltage on the first differential end and a second control voltage on the second differential end.

A method provides thermal protection for an IC device that has multiple components. For each component, temperatures are sensed, each of which associated with a different area of the respective component and a respective temperature sense signal is output indicative of the highest sensed temperature of the respective component. For each of the components, the respective temperature sense output signal is sampled to produce a sequence of discrete sampled temperature values. A sequence of differences between a reference temperature value and each of the discrete sample temperatures is integrated over time to compute, for each of the components, a respective integration output. The respective integration output computed for each of the switches is compared to a threshold value. An action related to the thermal protection function is initiated upon the integration output of an affected component exceeding the threshold value.

A semiconductor device 100 has a power transistor N1 of vertical structure and a temperature detection element 10a configured to detect abnormal heat generation by the power transistor N1. The power transistor N1 includes a first electrode 208 formed on a first main surface side (front surface side) of a semiconductor substrate 200, a second electrode 209 formed on a second main surface side (rear surface side) of the semiconductor substrate 200, and pads 210a-210f positioned unevenly on the first electrode 208. The temperature detection element 10a is formed at a location of the highest heat generation by the power transistor N1, the location (near the pad 210b where it is easiest for current to be concentrated) being specified using the uneven positioning of the pads 210a-210f.