IP Library › Granted Patent US 12707992
Granted Patent B2
US 12707992 · App. 17/945,835 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Electronic device including vertical high current hall sensor with integrated heat slug current loop power pad

Inventors: Hank Sung (Allen, TX); Dok Won Lee (Mountain View, CA); Wai Lee (Dallas, TX); Sreenivasan Koduri (Dallas, TX)
Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
H10W70/461H10W70/041H10W70/417H10W70/429G01R15/202H10W72/073H10W72/07338H10W72/075H10W72/354H10W72/5449H10W72/884H10W74/114H10W90/736H10W90/755
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12707992
App. No.
17/945,835
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device includes a metal heat slug, a semiconductor die, and a package structure. The metal heat slug has a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion, and the third portion connects the first and second portions. The semiconductor die is attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug, and the package structure encloses the semiconductor die and the third portion of the metal heat slug and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug.

Claims (86)

1 . An electronic device, comprising:

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second portion spaced apart from the first portion, the third portion connecting the first and second portions;

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug; and

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die and the third portion of the metal heat slug and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug at a bottom surface of the package structure.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a lead frame attached to the heat slug and enclosed by the package structure.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising:

a first lead connected to the lead frame and exposed by the package structure, the first lead extending outward from a side of the electronic device; and

a second lead electrically coupled to a conductive feature of the semiconductor die and exposed by the package structure, the second lead extending outward from another side of the electronic device.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the first portion of the metal heat slug along a first direction to conduct the current into the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction;

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the second portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the second portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction; and

the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor die is attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug by an adhesive that includes layers of a polymer and/or a non-conductive die attach adhesive.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic flux concentrator including a ferromagnetic alloy configured to facilitate magnetic coupling of a field created by the current of the third portion of the metal heat slug.

7 . An electronic device, comprising:

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second portion spaced apart from the first portion, the third portion connecting the first and second portions;

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug;

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die and the third portion of the metal heat slug and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug; and, wherein:

the electronic device has opposite first and second sides, opposite third and fourth sides, and opposite fifth and sixth sides;

the third and fourth sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a first direction;

the fifth and sixth sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction;

the first and second sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a third direction that is orthogonal to the first and second directions;

the package structure exposes the sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug along the first side of the electronic device to conduct the current into the first portion of the metal heat slug along the third direction and to conduct the current out of the second portion of the metal heat slug along the third direction; and

the current flows through the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the second direction.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising a lead frame attached to the heat slug and enclosed by the package structure.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising:

a first lead connected to the lead frame and exposed by the package structure, the first lead extending outward from the third side of the electronic device at least partially along the first direction; and

a second lead electrically coupled to a conductive feature of the semiconductor die and exposed by the package structure, the second lead extending outward from the fourth side of the electronic device at least partially along the first direction.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein:

the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion along the second direction;

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the first portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction; and

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the second portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the second portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction.

11 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein:

the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion along the second direction;

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the first portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction; and

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the second portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the second portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction.

12 . A system, comprising:

a circuit board; and

an electronic device, comprising:

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the first portion of the metal heat slug soldered to a first conductive feature of the circuit board, the second portion of the metal heat slug spaced apart from the first portion of the metal heat slug and soldered to a second conductive feature of the circuit board, the third portion of the metal heat slug connecting the first and second portions of the metal heat slug,

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug, and

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug at a bottom surface of the package structure.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the electronic device further comprises a lead frame attached to the heat slug and enclosed by the package structure.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the electronic device further comprises:

a first lead connected to the lead frame and exposed by the package structure, the first lead extending outward from a side of the electronic device; and

a second lead electrically coupled to a conductive feature of the semiconductor die and exposed by the package structure, the second lead extending outward from another side of the electronic device.

15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein:

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the first portion of the metal heat slug along a first direction to conduct the current into the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction;

the third portion of the metal heat slug is connected to the second portion of the metal heat slug along the first direction to conduct the current into the second portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the first direction; and

the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

16 . A system, comprising:

a circuit board; and

an electronic device, comprising:

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the first portion of the metal heat slug soldered to a first conductive feature of the circuit board, the second portion of the metal heat slug spaced apart from the first portion of the metal heat slug and soldered to a second conductive feature of the circuit board, the third portion of the metal heat slug connecting the first and second portions of the metal heat slug,

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug,

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug, wherein:

the electronic device has opposite first and second sides, opposite third and fourth sides, and opposite fifth and sixth sides;

the third and fourth sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a first direction;

the fifth and sixth sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction;

the first and second sides of the electronic device are spaced apart from one another along a third direction that is orthogonal to the first and second directions;

the package structure exposes the sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug along the first side of the electronic device to conduct the current into the first portion of the metal heat slug along the third direction and to conduct the current out of the second portion of the metal heat slug along the third direction; and

the current flows through the third portion of the metal heat slug at least partially along the second direction.

17 . An electronic device, comprising

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second portion spaced apart from the first portion, the third portion connecting the first and second portions;

a lead frame attached to the heat slug;

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug; and

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die, the third portion of the metal heat slug and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug.

18 . The electronic device of claim 17 , further comprising:

a first lead connected to the lead frame and exposed by the package structure, the first lead extending outward from a side of the electronic device; and

a second lead electrically coupled to a conductive feature of the semiconductor die and exposed by the package structure, the second lead extending outward from another side of the electronic device.

19 . The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the heat slug is attached to the lead frame by at least one of ultrasonic welding, riveting, non-conductive adhesive.

20 . The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the metal heat slug is or includes a different material from that of the lead frame.

21 . The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein a thickness of at least a portion of the metal slug is larger than a thickness of the lead frame.

22 . A system, comprising:

a circuit board; and

an electronic device, comprising:

a metal heat slug having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the first portion of the metal heat slug soldered to a first conductive feature of the circuit board, the second portion of the metal heat slug spaced apart from the first portion of the metal heat slug and soldered to a second conductive feature of the circuit board, the third portion of the metal heat slug connecting the first and second portions of the metal heat slug,

a lead frame attached to the heat slug;

a semiconductor die attached to the third portion of the metal heat slug and configured to measure a current of the third portion of the metal heat slug, and

a package structure that encloses the semiconductor die and exposes sides of the first and second portions of the metal heat slug.

23 . The system of claim 22 , further comprising:

a first lead connected to the lead frame and exposed by the package structure, the first lead extending outward from a side of the electronic device; and

a second lead electrically coupled to a conductive feature of the semiconductor die and exposed by the package structure, the second lead extending outward from another side of the electronic device.

24 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the heat slug is attached to the lead frame by at least one of ultrasonic welding, riveting, non-conductive adhesive.

25 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the metal heat slug is or includes a different material from that of the lead frame.

26 . The system of claim 22 , wherein a thickness of at least a portion of the metal slug is larger than a thickness of the lead frame.