Provided is a semiconductor device comprising a high-side switching device, a low-side switching device, a high-side driver configured to turn on/off the high-side switching device, a low-side driver configured to turn on/off the low-side switching device, a high-side driving external terminal configured to supply a power supply voltage for driving the high-side driver, and a protection circuit section connected to the high-side driving external terminal. The high-side driver may include a reference potential terminal set to a reference potential of the high-side driver. The protection circuit section may be connected between the high-side driving external terminal and the reference potential terminal.

A circuit comprises a gate driver having a supply voltage terminal and configured to generate an output at an output terminal based on an input. A voltage multiplexer is configured to connect a first voltage terminal to the supply voltage terminal responsive to a voltage select signal having a first value and connect a second voltage terminal to the supply voltage terminal responsive to the voltage select signal having a second value. First logic is configured to generate a fault signal responsive to detecting one of a first fault condition associated with operation of the gate driver or a second fault condition associated with operation of the gate driver and generate the voltage select signal having the second value based on the fault signal. Second logic is configured to generate the voltage select signal having the second value after a predetermined delay period based on a value of the input.

A gate resistance adjustment device has a waveform input unit that inputs waveforms of a drain voltage or a collector voltage and a drain current or a collector current at least one of during which a switching device is turned on and during which the switching device is turned off, an extraction unit that extracts time required for at least one of turning on or off the switching device and a steady-state drain current or a steady-state collector current of the switching device based on the waveforms input by the waveform input unit, a calculator that calculates a gate resistance of the switching device based on the time and the steady-state drain current or the steady-state collector current that are extracted by the extraction unit, and a setting unit that sets a gate resistance calculated by the calculator in the switching device.

A method for protecting a system including a driver integrated circuit includes receiving a driver input signal. The method includes driving an output signal externally to the driver integrated circuit. The output signal is driven based on the driver input signal and an indication of a delay between receipt of an edge of the driver input signal and arrival of a corresponding edge of the output signal at an output node coupled to a terminal of the driver integrated circuit.

A power module, including a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element connected to form a half bridge circuit, a high-side drive circuit which drives the high-side switching element, a low-side drive circuit which drives the low-side switching element, and a high-side current detection circuit which detects a current of the high-side switching element. The high-side drive circuit includes a high-side variable delay circuit which adjusts, according to a value detected by the high-side current detection circuit, a length of a high-side delay time from a time when a signal is inputted to the high-side drive circuit to a time when the high-side switching element is driven.

A system includes: 1) a battery configured to provide an input voltage (VIN); 2) switching converter circuitry coupled to the battery, wherein the switching converter circuitry includes a power switch; 3) a load coupled to an output of the switching converter circuitry; and 4) a control circuit coupled to the power switch. The control circuit includes: 1) a switch driver circuit coupled to the power switch; 2) a summing comparator circuit configured to output a first control signal that indicates when to turn the power switch on; and 3) an analog on-time extension circuit configured to extend an on-time of the power switch by gating a second control signal with the first control signal, wherein the second control signal indicates when to turn the power switch off.

A semiconductor switch drive device (3) includes a drive unit (10), a power supply unit (20), a switch (39), and a control unit (50). The drive unit (10) supplies a control signal to a semiconductor switch (Q) of a main circuit (2) and drives the semiconductor switch (Q). The power supply unit (20) supplies electric power to the drive unit (10). The switch (39) cuts off supply of electric power to the power supply unit (20) by detecting or controlling an overvoltage state on a primary side of the power supply unit (20). The control unit (50) switches a conductive state of the switch (39) on the basis of a voltage of a control terminal of the semiconductor switch (Q).

In one embodiment, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device may include an NMOS portion and a PNP portion, where the PNP portion is coupled to the NMOS portion. The PNP portion may include a base and a collector. The IGBT may further include a flyback clamp, where the flyback clamp is coupled between the base and the collector of the PNP portion.

A semiconductor device includes an element drive unit configured to control a control terminal of a voltage-control type semiconductor element using the control signal as input, the element drive unit including a control circuit that is driven using the control signal as a power supply. The element drive unit includes: a first voltage divider circuit that is connected between an input terminal to which the control signal is input and a low potential side terminal connected to a low potential side terminal of the voltage-control type semiconductor element and is configured such that a first divided voltage is not greater than a set voltage; a semiconductor switching element configured to control the first voltage divider circuit; and a second voltage divider circuit for making the semiconductor switching element conductive. The first divided voltage is supplied to the control terminal of the voltage-control type semiconductor element and the control circuit.

An overcurrent protection circuit includes an amplifier configured to amplify an inter-terminal voltage of a shunt resistor, an offset application circuit configured to allow the amplifier to provide an output with a predetermined offset voltage additionally applied thereto, a first comparator that compares an output voltage from the amplifier with a predetermined first reference voltage higher than the offset voltage to output a through-current sensing signal when the output voltage from the amplifier is higher than a first reference voltage, and an amplifier failure determination circuit that compares the output voltage from the amplifier with a predetermined second reference voltage that is higher than zero and lower than the offset voltage to output an amplification circuit failure determination signal corresponding to a result of the comparison.