Patent ID: 9621133
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: H01L,H03K

Claim:
1. A method of operating a semiconductor device which comprises an IGBT comprising a first electrode terminal, a second electrode terminal, agate electrode terminal, and a desaturation semiconductor structure comprising a desaturation channel, wherein the desaturation semiconductor structure being connected to the first electrode terminal and the gate electrode terminal for controlling the desaturation channel, the method comprising: applying a gate voltage with a first value to the gate electrode terminal, wherein a current flows through the IGBT between the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal, and wherein a current flow through the desaturation channel is substantially blocked; applying a gate voltage with a second value to the gate electrode terminal, the absolute value of the second value being lower than the absolute value of the first value, wherein a current flows through the IGBT between the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal, and wherein charge carriers flow as a desaturating current through the desaturation channel of the desaturation semiconductor structure to the first electrode terminal; and applying a gate voltage with a third value to the gate electrode terminal, the absolute value of the third value being low than the respective absolute values of the first and second values, wherein a current flow through the IGBT between the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal is substantially blocked, wherein the semiconductor device comprises the first electrode terminal, the second electrode terminal, the gate electrode terminal, and a first IGBT cell including a gate electrode, a first electrode, a second electrode and a drift region, the gate electrode being connected to the gate electrode terminal, the first electrode is connected to the first electrode terminal, and the second electrode is connected to the second electrode terminal, wherein, when the gate voltage with the first value is applied to the gate electrode terminal, the current flows through the first IGBT cell between the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal, and when the gate voltage with the second value is applied to the gate electrode terminal, the current flows through the first IGBT cell between the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal.