A power semiconductor diode with an integrated forward-current sensor

A new type of power semiconductor device, i.e., a power semiconductor diode with an integrated forward-current sensor, is introduced. An integrator resistor is obtained, permitting the monitoring of the forward current of the diode. The dependence of the voltage on said resistor versus the forward-current is linear in the range of the limiting on-state current of the power diode, I/sub FAV/, to six times I/sub FAV/. The theoretical model proposed matches experimental results within 10% accuracy.<
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