Patent ID: 8461876

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a first unit circuit and a second unit circuit coupled in series between a direct current power supply and a ground, a middle point between the first unit circuit and the second unit circuit being coupled with an end of an inductive load, each of the unit circuits including a first switching element and a free wheel diode that is coupled in inverse-parallel with the first switching element, at least one of the unit circuits including a bypass section coupled in parallel with each of the free wheel diode and the first switching element, the bypass section including at least one set of a second switching element and a resistor coupled in series; and a controller alternately turning on the first switching element of the first unit circuit and the first switching element of the second unit circuit with a dead time during which both the first switching elements are turned off for a predetermined time, the controller controlling the second switching element coupled in parallel with one of the first switching elements to be an on-state when the one of the first switching elements transitions from an off-state to an on-state in the dead time.