Current sensor device

1. A current sensor device, comprising:

a casing having a cavity;

a conductor fixedly mounted to the casing;

a semiconductor chip arranged at least partly in the cavity,

the semiconductor chip including a magnetic field sensitive element, wherein the magnetic field sensitive element is electrically insulated from the conductor; and

an electrically insulating non-gaseous medium to prevent a voltage breakdown or a partial discharge on a part of a side wall of the semiconductor chip covered by the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium,

the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium at least partially filling the cavity, and

the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium being formed of a material that has a greater dielectric breakdown voltage than a dielectric breakdown voltage of a material from which the casing is formed.

2. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the casing is formed from a single integral part.

3. The current sensor device of claim 2 , wherein the casing is a molded plastic part.

4. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a base part forming a bottom of the cavity and a frame part forming a wall of the cavity.

5. The current sensor device of claim 4 , wherein the base part comprises a material including at least one of a laminate, a prepreg, an epoxy-based material, a plastic, a molded plastic material, a cellulose, a glass, or a ceramic.

6. The current sensor device of claim 4 , wherein the frame part comprises a material including at least one of a laminate, a prepreg, an epoxy-based material, a ceramic, a plastic, a molded plastic material, or glass.

7. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the material from which the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium is formed is a gel, a silica gel, a silicone gel, a resin, an epoxy-based resin, or a polyurethane.

8. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric breakdown voltage of the material from which the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium is formed is equal to or greater than 1 kilovolts per millimeter (kV/mm), 5 kV/mm, 10 kV/mm, or 20 kV/mm.

9. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the material from which the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium is formed has a magnetic susceptibility equal to or less than 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, or 0.0001.

10. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium completely covers the side wall of the semiconductor chip.

11. The current sensor device of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the conductor forms part of a bottom surface of the cavity.

12. The current sensor device of claim 11 , wherein the portion of the conductor and a bottom surface the casing define a common plane.

13. The current sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an insulating member arranged between the conductor and the semiconductor chip.

14. The current sensor device of claim 13 , wherein a material from which the insulating member is formed is a glass, a semiconductor oxide or nitride material, a cellulose, a polyimide, a ceramic, or a plastic material.

15. The current sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a lid to close the cavity.

16. The current sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the lid comprises a hole.

17. A current sensor device, comprising:

a conductor;

a cavity formed in the conductor;

a semiconductor chip arranged at least partly in the cavity,

the semiconductor chip including a magnetic field sensitive element that is electrically insulated from the conductor; and

an electrically insulating non-gaseous medium to prevent a voltage breakdown or a partial discharge on a part of a side wall of the semiconductor chip covered by the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium,

the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium at least partially filling the cavity, and

the electrically insulating non-gaseous medium being formed of a material that has a greater dielectric breakdown voltage than a dielectric breakdown voltage of material from which the conductor is formed.

18. The current sensor device of claim 17 , further comprising:

an insulating member that extends over a portion of the conductor to form a bottom surface of the cavity.

19. A method, comprising:

providing a casing having a cavity and a conductor fixedly mounted to the casing;

disposing a semiconductor chip into the cavity,

wherein the semiconductor chip includes a magnetic field sensitive element that is electrically insulated from the conductor; and

introducing a pourable material into the cavity to form an electrically insulating medium that at least partially fills the cavity,

the electrically insulating medium being formed to prevent a voltage breakdown or a partial discharge on a part of a sidewall of the semiconductor chip covered by the electrically insulating medium, and

the electrically insulating medium having a greater dielectric breakdown voltage than a dielectric breakdown voltage of a material from which the casing is formed.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein providing the casing comprises:

molding an integral plastic part to form the casing.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein providing the casing comprises:

providing a base part forming a bottom of the cavity; and

mounting a frame part on the base part,

the frame part forming a side wall of the cavity.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein introducing the pourable material into the cavity comprises dispensing a liquid, spraying the liquid, pouring the liquid, pouring solid particles, showering the liquid, or showering the solid particles.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein providing the casing comprises:

providing a sheet-like base part structure;

mounting an array of frame parts on the sheet-like base part structure; and

singulating the sheet-like base part structure and the array of frame parts into single casings.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

attaching a lid foil on top of the array of frame parts before the singulating.