The upper and lower arm circuit 10 includes switching elements Q1 and Q2 and diodes D1 and D2. In the present embodiment, as the switching elements Q1 and Q2, n-channel type IGBTs are employed. An upper arm 10U includes the switching element Q1 and a freewheeling diode D1 connected in anti-parallel to the switching element Q1. A lower arm 10L includes the switching element Q2 and a freewheeling diode D2 connected in anti-parallel to the switching element Q2. Note that the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are not limited to the IGBTs. For example, MOSFETs can be employed as the switching elements Q1 and Q2. As the diodes D1 and D2, parasitic diodes can be employed.
The upper arm 10U and the lower arm 10L are connected in series between a VH line 12H and an N line 13, such that the upper arm 10U is positioned adjacent to the VH line 12H. A P line 12 is an electric power line on a high potential side, and includes the VH line 12H is connected to a positive electrode terminal of the DC power supply 2.
The N line 13 is connected to a negative electrode of the DC power supply 2, and is also referred to as a ground line. As described above, the upper and lower arm circuit 10 is provided by the upper arm 10U and the lower arm 10L connected in series between the electric power lines. A semiconductor device 20 described hereinbelow provides one arm.