Semiconductor module
A semiconductor module, including a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) made of a SiC semiconductor material, and an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) that is made of a Si semiconductor material and is connected in parallel with the MOSFET. The MOSFET having a body diode. The IGBT is a reverse conductive-IGBT (RC-IGBT), and includes a free wheeling diode. A forward voltage of the free wheeling diode is so set that a current in the body diode of the MOSFET, which is connected in parallel with the RC-IGBT, is equal to or below a current value that causes lattice defects to grow in the MOSFET.
1. A semiconductor module, comprising:
a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) made of a SiC semiconductor material, the MOSFET having a body diode; and
an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) that is made of a Si semiconductor material and is connected in parallel with the MOSFET, wherein
the IGBT is a reverse conductive-IGBT (RC-IGBT), and includes a free wheeling diode, and
the free wheeling diode is electrically connected in parallel to the body diode of the MOSFET, so as to turn on and off together with the body diode of the MOSFET, a forward voltage of the free wheeling diode being so set that, when a current flowing through the body diode of the MOSFET is greater than or equal to a predetermined current value, the forward voltage is equal to or below a source-drain voltage of the MOSFET at the predetermined current value.
2. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external terminal through which a main current flows, and
a lead frame, wherein
the RC-IGBT has an emitter that is connected by the lead frame to the external terminal, and
the MOSFET has a source that is connected to the lead frame by a bonding wire.
3. The semiconductor module according to claim 2 , wherein a position of the lead frame to which the bonding wire is connected is directly above the emitter of the RC-IGBT.
4. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , wherein a chip area of the MOSFET is smaller than a chip area of the RC-IGBT.
5. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , wherein a chip thickness of the MOSFET is greater than a chip thickness of the RC-IGBT.
6. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , wherein the RC-IGBT includes at least one of a temperature sensing element and a current sensing element.
7. A semiconductor module, comprising:
a first voltage-controlled semiconductor chip, made of a SiC semiconductor material, and
a second voltage-controlled semiconductor chip, made of a Si semiconductor material, the first and second voltage-controlled semiconductor chips being connected in parallel, wherein
the first voltage-controlled semiconductor chip is a SiC-MOSFET having a body diode thereof, and
the second voltage-controlled semiconductor chip is a Si-MOSFET having a body diode thereof, the body diode of the Si-MOSFET being electrically connected in parallel to the body diode of the SiC-MOSFET, so as to turn on and off together with the body diode of the SiC-MOSFET, a forward voltage of the body diode of the Si-MOSFET being so set that, when a current flowing through the body diode of the SiC-MOSFET is greater than or equal to a predetermined current value, the forward voltage is equal to or below a source-drain voltage of the Si-MOSFET at the predetermined current value.
8. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined current value is 5 amperes or higher, which causes lattice defects to grow in the body diode of the MOSFET.
9. The semiconductor module according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined current value is 5 amperes or higher, which causes lattice defects to grow in the body diode of the SiC-MOSFET.
10. The semiconductor module according to claim 1 , wherein the RC-IGBT is a single chip incorporating the IGBT and the free wheeling diode.