Integration of planar transformer and/or planar inductor with power switches in power converter

• US 20050270745A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies USA, LLC (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Zhu, Lizhi, Ahmed, Sayeed, Chen, Kanghua
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/707
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/22 Cooling by heat conduction through solid or powdered fillings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/645 Inductive arrangements H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4935 Heat exchanger or boiler making

Abstract

A power converter integrates at least one planar transformer comprising a multi-layer transformer substrate and/or at least one planar inductor comprising a multi-layer inductor substrate with a number of power semiconductor switches physically and thermally coupled to a heat sink via one or more multi-layer switch substrates.

Claims

1. A power converter, comprising:

a heat sink;

a magnetic core capable of producing a magnetic field;

at least a first multi-layer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate electrically isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, at least a first one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a first winding, at least a second one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a second winding, at least a portion of each of the first and the second windings disposed within the magnetic field of the magnetic core to form a planar transformer, the first multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink; and

at least a first power semiconductor device electrically coupled to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate, the first power semiconductor device electrically isolated from and thermally coupled to the heat sink via the first multi-layer substrate.

2. The power converter of claim 1 wherein the first power semiconductor device is surface mounted to an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

3. The power converter of claim 1 wherein the first power semiconductor device is surface mounted to an inner one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

4. The power converter of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a first planar inductor electrically coupled to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

5. The power converter of claim 4 wherein the first planar inductor is surface mounted to the one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

6. The power converter of claim 1 wherein at lease a third one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers is patterned and electrically coupled to the second one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers to form the second winding.

7. A power converter, comprising:

a heat sink;

a first multi-layer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate electrically isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers;

at least a first power semiconductor device electrically coupled to a portion of an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate, the first power semiconductor device electrically isolated from and thermally coupled to the heat sink via the first multi-layer substrate;

a magnetic core capable of producing a magnetic field; and

at least a second multi-layer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the second multi-layer substrate electrically isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, at least a first one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a first winding, at least a second one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a second winding, at least a portion of each of the first and the second windings disposed within the magnetic field of the magnetic core to form a planar transformer, the second multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink.

8. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the number of electrically and thermally conductive layers in the first multi-layer substrate is an integer n, and the number of electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers is an integer equal to n−

1.

9. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the first multi-layer substrate is thermally coupled directly to the heat sink via a solder.

10. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the first power semi-conductor device is directly surface mounted to an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate via a solder.

11. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the first power semi-conductor device is a power switching transistor directly surface mounted to an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate via a solder;

and further comprising;

a second power semi-conductor device in the form of a diode, the diode directly surface mounted to the outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate via a solder in anti-parallel with the power switching transistor.

12. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate comprises at least two distinct areas electrically isolated with respect to one another, the first power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a first one of the areas, and the power converter further comprising:

at least a second power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a second one of the areas.

13. The power converter of claim 7, further comprising:

at least a third multi-layer substrate electrically isolated with respect to the first multi-layer substrate, the third multi-layer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the third multi-layer substrate isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers; and

at least a second power semiconductor device electrically coupled to a portion of an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the third multi-layer substrate, the second power semiconductor device electrically isolated from and thermally coupled to the heat sink via the third multi-layer substrate.

14. The power converter of claim 13 wherein the first and the second power semiconductor devices are electrically coupled as a leg of a bridge and operable as at least one of a rectifier or an inverter.

15. The power converter of claim 13, further comprising:

a third power semiconductor device, wherein the first power semiconductor device is electrically coupled to the third power semiconductor device as a leg of a rectifier; and

a fourth power semiconductor device, wherein the second power semiconductor device is electrically coupled to the fourth power semiconductor device as a leg of an inverter.

16. The power converter of claim 7 wherein the heat sink comprises an inlet, an outlet and at least one cavity in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet for carrying a coolant fluid.

17. The power converter of claim 7, further comprising:

at least a first planar inductor electrically coupled to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

18. The power converter of claim 7, further comprising:

at least a third multi-layer substrate comprising at least three electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least two electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the second multi-layer substrate electrically isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, at least one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a first winding, at least two of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned and electrically coupled to one another to form a planar inductor, the third multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink.

19. A power converter, comprising:

a heat sink;

a first multi-layer substrate, comprising at least a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material patterned to form a first inductor, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, and the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer of the first multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink;

at least a first power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a first portion of the first layer;

a magnetic core with a magnetic field; and

at least a second multi-layer substrate comprising at least a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer patterned to form a first winding, the first layer patterned to form a second winding, at least a portion of the first, the second, and the third conductive layers disposed within the magnetic field of the magnetic core to form a first planar transformer, an outer most one of the layers of electrically and thermally conductive material of the second multi-layer substrate thermally conductively coupled to the heat sink.

20. The power converter of claim 19 wherein the outer most one of the layers of the second multi-layer substrate is thermally conductively coupled to the heat sink via a solder.

21. The power converter of claim 19 wherein the first layer of the first multi-layer substrate comprises at least four areas electrically isolated with respect to one another, the first power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a first one of the areas of the first layer of the first multi-layer substrate, and further comprising:

at least a second power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a second one of the areas of the first layer of the first multi-layer substrate;

at least a third power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a third one of the areas of the first layer of the first multi-layer substrate; and

at least a fourth power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a fourth one of the areas of the first layer of the first multi-layer substrate.

22. The power converter of claim 21, further comprising:

a number of wire bonds electrically coupling each of the first, the second, the third and the fourth power semiconductor devices to the second winding of the first planar transformer.

23. The power converter of claim 21 wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth power semiconductor devices are electrically coupled as a current doubler rectifier.

24. The power converter of claim 19, further comprising:

at least a third multi-layer substrate electrically isolated with respect to the first multi-layer substrate, the third multi-layer substrate comprising at least a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material patterned to form a second inductor, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, and the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer of the third multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink; and

at least a second power semiconductor device thermally coupled to a first portion of the first layer of the third multi-layered substrate.

25. The power converter of claim 24 wherein the first and second power semiconductor devices are electrically coupled to form a portion of a rectifier:

26. The power converter of claim 24 wherein the first and second power semiconductor devices are electrically coupled to form a portion of an inverter.

27. The power converter of claim 24, further comprising:

a number of wire bonds electrically coupling each of the first and the second power semi-conductor devices to at least one of the windings of the first planar transformer.

28. The power converter of claim 24, further comprising:

at least a fourth multi-layer substrate electrically isolated with respect to the first and the third multi-layer substrates, the fourth multi-layer substrate comprising at least a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material patterned to form a third inductor, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, and the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer of the fourth multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink;

at least a third power semiconductor device electrically and thermally coupled to a first portion of the first layer of the fourth multi-layered substrate;

at least a fifth multi-layer substrate electrically isolated with respect to the first, the third, and the fourth multi-layer substrates, the fifth multi-layer substrate comprising at least a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material patterned to form a fourth inductor, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, and the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer of the fifth multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink; and

at least a fourth power semiconductor device electrically and thermally coupled to a first portion of the first layer of the fifth multi-layered substrate, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth power semiconductor devices electrically coupled as a rectifier bridge.

29. The power converter of claim 28 wherein the rectifier bridge is a current doubler rectifier.

30. The power converter of claim 28, further comprising:

at least a sixth, a seventh, an eighth, a ninth, a tenth, and an eleventh multi-layer substrate, each of the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh multi-layer substrates electrically isolated with respect to the other multi-layer substrates, and each of the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh multi-layer substrates comprising at least a first layer, a second layer and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material patterned to form a respective inductor, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, and the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer electrically isolating the third layer from the first layer, the third layer of each the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh multi-layer substrates thermally coupled to the heat sink; and

at least a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth, a ninth, and a tenth power semiconductor device electrically and thermally coupled to a first portion of the first layer of the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh multi-layer substrates, respectively, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth power semiconductor devices electrically coupled to one another as an inverter.

31. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the first multi-layer substrate comprises a direct bonding copper substrate.

32. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the first multi-layer substrate comprises an insulated metal substrate.

33. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the heat sink comprises an inlet, an outlet, and at least one cavity in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet for carrying a liquid coolant.

34. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the heat sink forms a recess size and dimensioned to receive a portion of the magnetic core such that the first and the second windings are adjacent to a surface of the heat sink.

35. The power converter of claim 26, further comprising:

a pair of DC input terminals; and

a pair of DC output terminals.

36. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the first winding is electrically coupled to a power source as a primary winding.

37. The power converter of claim 26 wherein the first winding is electrically coupled to a load as a secondary winding.

38. The power converter of claim 19, further comprising:

at least a first planar inductor electrically coupled to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate.

39. The power converter of claim 19, further comprising:

at least a third multi-layer substrate comprising at least a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, the first layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the second layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, the third layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the first layer patterned to form a second inductor, an outer most one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers thermally coupled to the heat sink.

40. The power converter of claim 19 wherein the second multi-layer substrate, further comprises:

a fourth layer and a fifth layer, the fourth layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, the fifth layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the fourth layer electrically isolating the third layer from the fifth layer, the fifth layer patterned and electrically coupled in series to the patterned first layer to form the second winding.

41. A power converter, comprising:

at least a first heat sink;

at least a first magnetic core capable of producing a magnetic field;

at least a first multi-layer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate electrically isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, at least a first one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a first winding of at least a first planar transformer and a first winding of a first inductor, at least a second one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers patterned to form a second winding of the first planar transformer, at least a portion of each of the first and the second windings of the planar transformer disposed within the magnetic field of the magnetic core, the first multi-layer substrate thermally coupled to the heat sink; and

at least a first power semiconductor device electrically coupled to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the first multi-layer substrate, the first power semiconductor device electrically isolated from and thermally coupled to the heat sink via the first multi-layer substrate.

42. The power converter of claim 41 wherein the first multi-layer substrate, further comprises:

a fourth layer and a fifth layer, the fourth layer comprising an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material, the fifth layer comprising an electrically and thermally conductive material, the fourth layer electrically isolating the fifth layer from the third layer, the fifth layer patterned and electrically coupled in series to the patterned first layer to form the first winding of the first planar transformer.

43. A method of forming a power converter, comprising:

providing a heat sink;

providing a number of multi-layer switch substrates, each of the multi-layer switch substrates comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layer, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers;

for each of the multi-layer switch substrates, soldering at least one respective power semiconductor device to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate;

for each of the multi-layer switch substrates, soldering one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate to the heat sink;

providing a magnetic core;

providing a multi-layer transformer substrate comprising at least two electrically and thermally conductive layers, and at least one electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers, each of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate isolated from a next successive one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers by a respective one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers;

patterning at least one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate to form a first winding;

patterning at least one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate to form respective portions of a second winding;

disposing at least a portion of each of the first and the second windings within the magnetic field of the magnetic core to form a planar transformer; and

soldering at least one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate to the heat sink.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein soldering at least one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate to the heat sink and soldering one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate to the heat sink is performed at a same time.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein soldering at least one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate to the heat sink and soldering one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer transformer substrate to the heat sink is performed in a single reflow process.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein soldering at least one respective power semiconductor device to one of the electrically and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate occurs before soldering at least one of the electrically insulative and thermally conductive layers of the multi-layer switch substrate to the heat sink.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

wire bonding at least some of the power semiconductor devices to at least one of the first or the second windings.

48. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

wire bonding all of the power semiconductor devices to at least one of the first or the second windings.

49. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

wire bonding four of the power semiconductor devices to one another as a rectifier.

50. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

wire bonding six of the power semiconductor devices to one another as a three phase inverter.