Abstract: The upper arm drive circuit for controlling the drive of an upper arm switching element of the power conversion device includes: an upper arm gate voltage output wiring connected to a gate of the upper arm switching element; a first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring; an upper arm gate voltage reference potential wiring connected to an inverter output of the power conversion device; and a control circuit of upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring potential for controlling the potential of the first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring to a potential lower than a reference potential when a potential of the inverter output is equal to a predefined potential that is lower than the reference potential or lower. The first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring is connected to the reference potential via the control circuit of upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring potential.

Abstract: A termination structure in which a semiconductor active region is surrounded with a guard ring and capable of preventing corrosion of a metal layer connected to the guard ring includes: an active region and a guard ring region surrounding the active region. A guard ring is formed on the semiconductor substrate, and an interlayer insulating film is formed on the semiconductor substrate so as to cover the guard ring. A field plate is disposed on the interlayer insulating film and is electrically connected to the guard ring via a contact penetrating the interlayer insulating film. A protective film covers the field plate, which has a laminated structure including a first metal in contact with the guard ring and a second metal which is disposed in contact with the first metal and has a lower standard potential than the first metal.

Abstract: A semiconductor device that is equipped with a MOSFET with a Zener diode embedded and capable of achieving both improvement in the surge resistance and the low on-resistance of the MOSFET is provided. The semiconductor device equipped with a MOSFET with a Zener diode embedded includes an active region in which the MOSFET operates, and a peripheral region that is disposed outside of the active region and holds a withstand voltage of a chip peripheral portion, in which the active region includes a first region including a chip central portion and a second region disposed outside of the first region, and a withstand voltage of the first region is lower than a withstand voltage of the second region and a withstand voltage of the peripheral region.

Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable semiconductor device in which an influence on device characteristics can be reduced while improving a high temperature and high humidity bias resistance of a termination structure (termination region) of a chip by a relatively simple method. The semiconductor device includes an active region disposed on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a termination region disposed on the main surface so as to surround the active region. The termination region includes an interlayer insulating film formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an organic protective film formed so as to cover the interlayer insulating film. An insulating film having a thickness of 100 nm or less and containing nitrogen is provided between the interlayer insulating film and the organic protective film.

Abstract: Provided is a compact and highly reliable power semiconductor device that prevents partial discharge originating from voids generated by the entering of water vapor from the exterior of the semiconductor device through a sealing resin or voids generated between a main terminal and the sealing resin when the main terminal is heated. The power semiconductor device comprises an insulating substrate, a semiconductor element provided on a front surface of the insulating substrate, and a gel-like first insulation material for sealing the semiconductor element. The power semiconductor device further includes a plate-shaped terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor element and an external equipment, and an entire portion of the plate-shaped terminal surrounded by the first insulating material is covered with a second insulating material having a hardness greater than that of the first insulating material.

Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor module comprising a power semiconductor chip, a base, an insulating substrate bonded to the base, a semiconductor chip bonded to the insulating substrate, and a case adhered to the base by means of an adhesive. The semiconductor module has a low variability but a high assembly quality and reliability enabling a decrease in stress between the case and an adhered portion of the base. The base includes a plate-like first material, and a second material coating the first material and having a linear coefficient of expansion greater than that of the first material. The case covers at least part of a side surface of the base and is adhered to the base at least on an upper surface of the base by means of the adhesive, and a linear expansion coefficient of the case is larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the first material.

Abstract: An electric connection inspection device includes: a cooling plate; an insulating plate provided on the cooling plate; a first measurement electrode provided on the insulating plate; and a second measurement electrode and a third measurement electrode provided above the first measurement electrode and located apart from the first measurement electrode. The insulating plate includes a variable thermal resistance mechanism. A semiconductor device can be installed between the first measurement electrode and the second measurement electrode and between the first measurement electrode and the third measurement electrode.

Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device where an electric field applied to an electric field protection layer at a bottom of a trench gate electrode of an active region is relaxed and an avalanche withstand voltage is improved. The semiconductor device includes: an active region that has multiple gate trenches, a trench gate electrode in each gate trench, and a P body layer provided to a section other than the gate trenches; and a termination region disposed on the outer periphery of the active region. Additionally, an electric field protection layer is provided to the bottom of each gate trench of the active region, an electric field relaxation layer is between the active region and the termination region, the bottom surface of the electric field relaxation layer is shallower than that of the electric field protection layer, and the electric field relaxation layer is electrically connected to the P body layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises: a diode element with a main surface having an electrode and a back surface having another electrode; a heat dissipation base arranged to face the diode element; a Cu lead arranged to face the diode element; a bonding material which bonds the back surface of the diode element and the heat dissipation base to each other; and a bonding material which bonds the main surface of the diode element and the Cu lead to each other. The bonding material provided on the back surface side of the diode element is a lead-free solder having a melting point higher than 260° C. and a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of a Zn—Al solder; and the bonding material provided on the main surface side of the diode element contains a high-melting-point metal having a melting point higher than 260° C. and a compound of Sn and the high-melting-point metal.

Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable semiconductor device in which an influence on device characteristics can be reduced while improving a high temperature and high humidity bias resistance of a termination structure (termination region) of a chip by a relatively simple method. The semiconductor device includes an active region disposed on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a termination region disposed on the main surface so as to surround the active region. The termination region includes an interlayer insulating film formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an organic protective film formed so as to cover the interlayer insulating film. An insulating film having a thickness of 100 nm or less and containing nitrogen is provided between the interlayer insulating film and the organic protective film.

Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor device and a power converting device utilizing a field-stop layer in a vertical semiconductor device with improved manufacturability using large-diameter wafers. A semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention is characterized by: a step for, after a pattern on a main surface side of a drift layer of a first conductivity type is formed, irradiating ions from a second main surface side to a predetermined depth; a step for, after the ion irradiation, converting the ions into donors by anneal processing of heating at 300-450° C. for 60 seconds or less, thereby forming a field-stop layer; and a step for reducing the thickness of a semiconductor substrate to a predetermined value from the second main surface side such that a crystal defect having occurred in the ion irradiating step is eliminated.

Abstract: The provided power semiconductor module is configured to reduce the wiring inductance and save space on the substrate by establishing a multi-parallel connection between multiple power semiconductor chips. It consists of a first and second insulated substrates with a plurality of semiconductor switching elements positioned on one and facing the other. There are also first and second spacer conductors positioned between the plurality of semiconductor switching elements and the second insulated substrate. Inter-spacer-conductor wiring parts are connected with the plurality of second spacer conductors.

Abstract: In the present invention, in a FinFET having a channel forming region on a surface of a fin that is a semiconductor layer protruding on an upper surface of a substrate, a channel at a corner of the fin is prevented from becoming an ON state with a low voltage and a steep ON/OFF operation is made possible. As a means thereof, in a MOSFET that has a plurality of trenches, each of which have embedded therein a gate electrode, on an upper surface of an n-type epitaxial substrate provided with a drain region on a bottom surface and that has a channel region formed on a surface of a fin which is a protrusion part between the trenches adjacent to each other, a p-type body layer that constitutes a lateral surface of the fin, and a p+-type semiconductor region that constitutes a corner which is an end of the upper surface of the fin, are formed.

Abstract: The upper arm drive circuit for controlling drive of the upper arm switching element of the power conversion device includes: a capacitor disposed between a gate of the upper switching element and the output terminal of the power conversion device; a reverse current prevention circuit that is disposed between a power supply of the power conversion device and the capacitor, and that makes a current flow from a first terminal side of the reverse current prevention circuit connected to the power supply side to a second terminal side of the reverse current prevention circuit connected to the capacitor side and prevents a reverse current from flowing from the second terminal side to the first terminal side; and a switching element for capacitor charging that is turned ON in synchronization with a command signal that turns the upper arm switching element ON.

Abstract: The semiconductor device configures a cascode-type high voltage element comprising a plurality of low voltage elements connected in series, wherein the number of stages of connected low voltage elements is reduced, and the high voltage element has desired withstand voltage, without limiting the withstand voltage of the gate oxide film of the low voltage elements. The semiconductor device comprises a first semiconductor element and one or more second semiconductor elements connected in series, wherein the first and the second semiconductor elements have a control signal output terminal between a source terminal and a drain terminal or between an emitter terminal and a collector terminal; and a gate terminal of the one or more second semiconductor elements is connected to the control signal output terminal of the first or second semiconductor element connected in series adjacently to the source or emitter side of said one or more second semiconductor elements.

Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable semiconductor device capable of reducing stress generated in a semiconductor element even when a highly elastic joining material such as a Pb-free material is used in a power semiconductor having a double-sided mounting structure. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element including a gate electrode only on one surface, an upper electrode connected to the surface of the semiconductor element on which the gate electrode is provided, and a lower electrode connected to a surface opposite to the surface of the semiconductor element on which the gate electrode is provided.

Abstract: Provide is a highly reliable semiconductor device in which stress generated in a semiconductor chip is reduced and an increase in thermal resistance is suppressed. The semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor chip including a first main electrode on one surface thereof and a second main electrode and a gate electrode on the other surface thereof; a first electrode connected to the one surface of the semiconductor chip via a first bonding material; and a second electrode connected to the other surface of the semiconductor chip via a second bonding material. The first electrode is a plate-shaped electrode and has a groove in a region overlapping with the semiconductor chip. The groove penetrates in a thickness direction of the first electrode and reaches an end portion of the first electrode when viewed in a plan view.

Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device signal transmission circuit for drive-control, a method of controlling a semiconductor device signal transmission circuit for drive-control, a semiconductor device, a power conversion device, and an electric system for a railway vehicle capable of preventing malfunction due to noise while speeding up or reducing loss of a switching operation. The semiconductor device signal transmission circuit for drive-control that is connected between a semiconductor device constituting an arm in a power conversion device and a drive circuit configured to drive the semiconductor device, including: an inductor; and an impedance circuit including a switch and connected in parallel with the inductor.

Abstract: The invention provides a gate drive device, a gate drive method, a power semiconductor module, and an electric power conversion device capable of reducing a negative gate surge voltage. The gate drive device drives a semiconductor device constituting an arm in an electric power conversion device. Before a turn-off start of a drive arm, in a counter arm, a voltage between one main terminal of the semiconductor device and a gate terminal of the semiconductor device is charged to a voltage value that is larger, in a positive direction, than a negative voltage of a negative gate power supply and smaller than a gate threshold voltage of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: The upper arm drive circuit for controlling the drive of an upper arm switching element of the power conversion device includes: an upper arm gate voltage output wiring connected to a gate of the upper arm switching element; a first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring; an upper arm gate voltage reference potential wiring connected to an inverter output of the power conversion device; and a control circuit of upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring potential for controlling the potential of the first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring to a potential lower than a reference potential when a potential of the inverter output is equal to a predefined potential that is lower than the reference potential or lower. The first upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring is connected to the reference potential via the control circuit of upper arm drive circuit reference potential wiring potential.