Abstract: A semiconductor device having high reliability and high load short circuit withstand capability while maintaining a low ON resistance is provided, by using a WBG semiconductor as a switching element of an inverter circuit. In the semiconductor device for application to a switching element of an inverter circuit, a band gap of a semiconductor material is wider than that of silicon, a circuit that limits a current when a main transistor is short circuited is provided, and the main transistor that mainly serves to pass a current, a sensing transistor that is connected in parallel to the main transistor and detects a microcurrent proportional to a current flowing in the main transistor, and a lateral MOSFET that controls a gate of the main transistor on the basis of an output of the sensing transistor are formed on the same semiconductor.

Abstract: Performance failure in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is determined independently by itself. A selective tripping can be done within a shorter time than one cycle of an AC output. A UPS converts a DC voltage to an AC voltage and supplies the AC voltage to a load device. A UPS has a control unit conducting a failure determination by using an instantaneous value of an internal voltage and current. It is preferred that a UPS includes an inverter unit and a trip switch. The inverter unit includes a semiconductor bridge circuit generating a sinusoidal AC voltage by modulating a DC voltage with voltage instruction values, and a filter circuit inserted between the semiconductor bridge circuit and the load device. The trip switch connects and trips a connection between the inverter unit and the load device according to the failure determination of the control unit.

Abstract: A yield and productivity of a semiconductor module are improved. A sheet having electrical conductivity is fixed to a main surface of a semiconductor substrate on which a plurality of semiconductor devices having a surface structure and a rear surface electrode are arranged. The semiconductor substrate is divided into semiconductor chips on a first support stage in the state where the sheet is fixed to its main surface. The plurality of divided semiconductor chips are mounted on a second support stage via the sheet and further, the plurality of mounted semiconductor chips are continuously subjected to a dynamic characteristic test on the second support stage. The proposed semiconductor device evaluation method permits a fissure growing and propagating from a crack occurring in the dynamic characteristic test of the vertical semiconductor devices to be suppressed, and the yield and productivity of the semiconductor module to be improved.

Abstract: A miniaturizable, low-cost highly reliable inverter unit. A control circuit section for controlling operating timing of high breakdown voltage semiconductor elements included in an inverter circuit section and first and second drive and abnormality detection circuit sections for outputting drive signals for driving the high breakdown voltage semiconductor elements according to the operating timing and for feeding back an abnormality of the inverter circuit section to the control circuit section are formed on an SOI substrate as one integrated circuit chip. On the integrated circuit chip, circuit formation areas which differ in reference potential are separated from one another by dielectrics. A plurality of level shifters for transmitting signals exchanged between circuit formation areas separated by the dielectrics are formed.

Abstract: An online diagnostic system for a geothermal generation facility is discloses that includes an automatic steam measurement device for measuring a characteristic of steam to be supplied to a steam turbine from a steam-water separator at the geothermal generation facility that outputs analysis data. A monitor-control device controls an operation of the geothermal generation facility while monitoring the geothermal generation facility. A diagnostic device performs at least one of an evaluation of a steam characteristic at the geothermal generation facility, an evaluation of the steam-water separator, and an evaluation of pulsation and confluence of a production well based on the analysis data from the automatic steam measurement device and performance data of the geothermal generation facility from the monitor-control device. An operating status of the geothermal generation facility is diagnosed.

Abstract: UPS performance failure is determined independently by itself. Selective tripping can be done within a shorter time than one cycle of an AC output. A UPS converts a DC voltage to an AC voltage and supplies the AC voltage to a load device. A UPS has a control unit identifying a resistance value of an internal resistance as an internal impedance of the UPS by using an instantaneous value of an internal voltage and current and conducting a failure determination by detecting abnormal fluctuation of the value. It is preferred that an identification of the internal impedance is done through a system identification unit.

Abstract: In a display driving device which performs scan driving of a PDP or similar, to enable rapid scan operation, reduction of the chip size, and lowering of costs, as well as elimination of coupling problems. The display driving device is provided with a pull-up switching element Nu connected to a first driving voltage (VDH) supply line and common to all bits; diodes D1 to DN for each bit, connected between the pull-up switching element Nu and driving voltage output terminals for each bit; pull-down switching elements Nd1 to NdN for each bit, connected between a second driving voltage (GND) supply line and the driving voltage output terminals for each bit; and resistance elements R1 to RN for each bit, connected between the first driving voltage supply line and the pull-down switching elements Nd1 to NdN.

Abstract: A thin-film solar cell includes a plurality of unit solar cells, each unit solar cell including a photoelectric conversion portion and a rear electrode layer. The photoelectric conversion portion has a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second transparent electrode layer, sequentially stacked on a front surface of the insulating substrate. The rear electrode layer is stacked on a rear surface of the insulating substrate. Each unit solar cell has a first overlap region in which a portion of the first electrode layer, taken from a plan view, overlaps with a portion of the rear electrode layer of an adjacent unit solar cell. Each unit solar cell has a second overlap region in which the photoelectric conversion portion and the rear electrode layer of each unit solar cell, taken from a plan view, overlap with each other.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (100) in which a voltage divider circuit is integrated comprises a first resistor (121), second resistor (122), control portion (130), switch (140), and switching portion (150). The first resistor (121) and second resistor (122) form a resistive voltage divider element for dividing a voltage obtained by rectifying an alternating-current voltage, or a direct-current voltage, supplied to a control portion (130). The switch (140) is provided in series with the resistive voltage divider element, and passes or cuts off current passing through the resistive voltage divider element. The switching portion (150) switches the switch (140) so as to pass current during driving of the control portion (130), and cut off current during standby of the control portion (130).

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a lead-free solder including an alloy rolled into a shape of sheet. The alloy includes: tin; from 10 wt % to less than 25 wt % of silver; and from 3 wt % to 5 wt % of copper. The alloy is free from lead.

Abstract: A thin film solar cell manufacturing apparatus is provided which prevents the occurrence of transport wrinkles due to driving rollers transporting the film substrate, and which can improve workability.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding door opening/closing device for a vehicle that applies a sufficient opening/closing drive force to the left and right sliding doors and reduces a force necessary to lock and unlock the latch, despite a simple configuration of the device, and that facilitates the manufacturing process, improves operability and safety, and reduces noise. A lock device, against both sides of which locking portions abut, rotates a columnar permanent magnet so as to form magnetic locking circuits and fixes the locking portions by magnetic forces of the locking magnetic circuits. The rotational operation of the columnar permanent magnet is converted into the downward operation of a latch, and the lowered latch restrains the locking portions with respect to the lock device.

Abstract: A current negative-feedback circuit comprises a current detection unit and a sawtooth-shaped waveform generation unit. The current detection unit comprises a first P-ch MOSFET Q2 and a second P-ch MOSFET Q3 which constitute a current mirror circuit, a current adjustment resistor R4, a current detection resistor R1, and a constant current source I1. The current mirror circuit outputs current almost proportional to the charge current of an inductance via a switching device or outputs a current which is the quadratic function of the charge current of an inductance. The sawtooth-shaped waveform generation means adds the constant charge current of the constant current source I2 and the current output from the current mirror circuit, charges the capacitor C1, and generates a sawtooth-shaped waveform.

Abstract: A positive-charging electrophotography photoreceptor includes a laminated structure having a conductive supporting member, a charge transport layer formed of at least a hole transport material and a first binder resin, and a charge generation layer formed of at least a charge generation material, hole transport material, electron transport material, and second binder resin. The charge transport layer is disposed between the conductive supporting member and the charge generation layer. The content of the charge generation material in the charge generation layer is in a range exceeding 0.7 wt % and less than 3.0 wt % of the charge generation layer.

Abstract: A power factor correction power supply unit for correcting a power factor includes a switching device, an input voltage detection circuit, an output voltage detection circuit, an error amplifier for outputting an error signal obtained by amplifying a difference between an output voltage detection signal and a reference voltage, an ON width generation circuit for generating an ON time width, an OFF width generation circuit for generating an OFF time width of the switching device, and a switching device driving circuit. The drive circuit conducts an ON/OFF control over the switching device upon receiving a turn-on timing signal for turning on the switching device as soon as the OFF time width is terminated and upon receiving a turn-off timing signal for turning off the switching device as soon as the ON time width is terminated.

Abstract: A semiconductor device controls a switching power supply. The semiconductor device includes a current inflow terminal; a starter circuit to cause a starting current to flow from the current inflow terminal to a power supply terminal to charge a capacitor externally connected to the power supply terminal; a control unit which controls the starter circuit to turn on to charge the capacitor with the starting current and controls the starter circuit to turn off to perform brown-out detection; a comparator which detects a brown-out state while the starter circuit is turned off; and a brown-out detection unit which receives output signals from the comparator and the control unit as inputs. The brown-out detection is performed while the starter circuit is off, so that the current inflow terminal for the starter circuit is used in common as a voltage detection terminal for detection of the brown-out state.

Abstract: A cooling apparatus for semiconductor chips includes radiation fins formed on the opposite surface of metal base opposite to the surface of metal base, to which an insulator base board mounting semiconductor chips thereon, is disposed. The radiation fins, such as sheet-shaped fins having different lengths are arranged such that the surface area density of the fins becomes higher in the coolant flow direction, whereby the surface area density is the total surface area of radiation fins on a unit surface area of the metal base. As a result, the temperatures of semiconductor chips arranged along the coolant flow direction are closer to each other.

Abstract: In an AC motor driving circuit, a current source rectifier is provided on the output side of an AC generator and an AC motor is connected to the output side of the current source rectifier through a voltage source inverter. Along with this, one of terminals of each of a plurality of bidirectional switches is connected to its corresponding output terminal of the voltage source inverter, the other terminals of a plurality of the bidirectional switches are lumped together to be connected to one of terminals of a storage battery, and the other terminal of the storage battery is connected to one of DC input terminals of the voltage source inverter. This eliminates need for a large capacitor at a DC link and a reactor in a chopper which were previously necessary, by which the AC motor driving circuit is downsized.

Abstract: A fully integrated DC-DC converter utilizes digitally controlled dual output stages to achieve fast load transient recovery is presented. The DC-DC converter includes a main converter output stage connected in parallel with an auxiliary output stage. The main output stage is responsible for steady-state operation and is designed to achieve high conversion efficiency using large inductor and power transistors with low on-resistance. The auxiliary stage is responsible for transient suppression and is only active when a load transient occurs. The auxiliary output stage performs well with inductor and power transistors much smaller than those of the main switching stage and thus achieves well balanced power conversion efficiency and dynamic performance with a much smaller area penalty than previously described dual-output-stage converters.

Abstract: An electric power converter facilitates performing soft switching in the two-way electric-power-conversion operation thereof, and reducing the manufacturing costs thereof and the losses caused therein, The electric power converter includes a first switching device; a second switching device; a first series circuit including capacitor, a diode, the primary winding of transformer, and a third switching device; a second series circuit including a capacitor, a fourth switching device, the primary winding of transformer, and a diode; a third series circuit including a diode and the secondary winding of transformer; and a voltage clamping element connected in parallel to the primary winding of transformer. The first series circuit is connected in parallel to the first switching device, and the second series circuit is connected in parallel to second switching device. The third series circuit is connected between the DC output terminals.