An object of the present disclosure is to achieve a stable current sensing operation and suppress decrease in main current at a low temperature of 0 C. or less in a silicon carbide semiconductor device. An SiC-MOSFET includes: a main cell outputting main current; and a sense cell outputting sense current proportional to the main current, wherein temperature dependent properties of the main current differ in accordance with threshold voltage of the main cell, temperature dependent properties of the sense current differ in accordance with threshold voltage of the sense cell, the threshold voltage of the main cell is smaller than the threshold voltage of the sense cell, and in a temperature of 0 C. or less, an inclination of the temperature dependent properties of the main current is smaller than an inclination of the temperature dependent properties of the sense current.

A transistor arrangement includes a drift and drain region arranged in a semiconductor body and each connected to a drain node, a plurality of load transistor cells each comprising a source region integrated in a first region of the semiconductor body, a plurality of sense transistor cells each comprising a source region integrated in a second region of the semiconductor body, a first source node electrically connected to the source region of each of the plurality of the load transistor cells via a first source conductor, and a second source node electrically connected to the source region of each of the plurality of the sense transistor cells via a second source conductor, a resistance of the second source conductor is different from a resistance of the first source conductor, and the second source conductor comprises an elongated span with a plurality of meanders in which the connection line reverses its direction.

A semiconductor device has a cell portion and a peripheral portion. The cell portion includes a semiconductor substrate, a first impurity region, a second impurity region, and a contact region for the second impurity region. The semiconductor substrate has a drift layer. The first impurity region is on the drift layer. The second impurity region is on a surface layer portion of the first impurity region. A length of the cell portion is identical to a length of the second impurity region in one direction. The contact region extends from the cell portion to the peripheral portion. A length of a section of the contact region at the peripheral section in the one direction is defined as a protruding length, and a length of the second impurity region is defined as a second-impurity-region length. A ratio of the protruding length to the second-impurity-region length is 0.1 or smaller.

A semiconductor device includes a cell portion and a peripheral portion. The cell portion has a semiconductor element including a drift layer, a first impurity region, a second impurity region, trench-gate structures, a high-concentration layer, an interlayer insulating film, a first electrode and a second electrode. The interlayer insulating film is located on the trench-gate structures, the first impurity region and the second impurity region, and has a first contact hole communicating with the first impurity region and the second impurity region. The peripheral portion has a section facing the cell portion in one direction, and the interlayer insulating film further has a second contact hole at the section of the peripheral portion. The second contact hole exposes the first impurity region, and the first electrode is electrically connected to the first impurity region through the second contact hole in the peripheral portion.

A sense MOSFET is formed at a position surrounded by a main MOSFET and a source pad connected to a source region of the main MOSFET in plan view. A source potential is supplied to a source region of the sense MOSFET via a wiring surrounded by the source pad in plan view, a field plate electrode formed in a trench together with a gate electrode, and wirings formed outside the source pad.

In a semiconductor device, vertical semiconductor switching elements having a same structure are provided in a main cell region and a sense cell region. The sense cell region is defined as a quadrangular region surrounding an operating region of the semiconductor switching element formed as a sense cell, with (i) a lateral dimension of the sense cell region defined along one direction of the main cell region, and (ii) a longitudinal dimension of the sense cell region defined along a longitudinal direction that is orthogonal to the lateral direction. The longitudinal dimension of the sense cell region is equal to or greater than the lateral dimension of the sense cell region.

Main cells that constitute a semiconductor element having a trench gate structure include first cells, and second cells having a structure in which gate insulating films are more easily broken by energization than those in the first cells, and the number of which is smaller than that of the first cells. At a time of driving the semiconductor element, a common gate drive voltage is applied to gate electrodes of the first cells and the second cells. An electrical characteristic is measured to detect failure of the second cells due to energization at the time of driving. The gate electrodes of the failed second cells are electrically isolated from the gate electrodes of the first cells so that the gate drive voltage is not applied to the failed second cells. The failure of the first cells is predicted based on the failure of the second cells.

The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer which has a main surface, a switching device which is formed in the semiconductor layer, a first electrode which is arranged on the main surface and electrically connected to the switching device, a second electrode which is arranged on the main surface at an interval from the first electrode and electrically connected to the switching device, a first terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the first electrode in plan view and a portion that overlaps the second electrode and is electrically connected to the first electrode, and a second terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the second electrode in plan view and is electrically connected to the second electrode.

The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer which has a main surface, a switching device which is formed in the semiconductor layer, a first electrode which is arranged on the main surface and electrically connected to the switching device, a second electrode which is arranged on the main surface at an interval from the first electrode and electrically connected to the switching device, a first terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the first electrode in plan view and a portion that overlaps the second electrode and is electrically connected to the first electrode, and a second terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the second electrode in plan view and is electrically connected to the second electrode.

The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer which has a main surface, a switching device which is formed in the semiconductor layer, a first electrode which is arranged on the main surface and electrically connected to the switching device, a second electrode which is arranged on the main surface at an interval from the first electrode and electrically connected to the switching device, a first terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the first electrode in plan view and a portion that overlaps the second electrode and is electrically connected to the first electrode, and a second terminal electrode which has a portion that overlaps the second electrode in plan view and is electrically connected to the second electrode.