POWER SEMICONDUCTOR MODULE

• US 20110062491A1
• Filed: 04/23/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nakata, Shuhei
• Granted Patent: US 8,461,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/146
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/18 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
• 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 2924/12032 Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance

Abstract

A power semiconductor module (1) includes a first MOS transistor (16) connected to a positive side power supply terminal via a first conductor pattern (11), a first free wheeling diode (17) connected to the positive side power supply terminal via a second conductor pattern (12), a second MOS transistor (18) connected to a negative side power supply terminal via a third conductor pattern (13), and a second free wheeling diode (19) connected to the negative side power supply terminal via a fourth conductor pattern (14). These semiconductor elements (16-19) are connected to a load side output terminal via a common fifth conductor pattern (15). The semiconductor element (16, 17) connected to the positive side power supply terminal and the semiconductor element (18, 19) connected to the negative side power supply terminal are arranged alternately, substantially linearly.

Claims

1. A power semiconductor module (1) comprising:

a first insulation substrate (10),

a conductor pattern (15) formed on said first insulation substrate (10), and

a plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17) provided on said first insulation substrate (10), electrically connected parallel to each other between a positive side power supply (41A) and said conductor pattern (15),

at least one of said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17) being a switching element (16),

said power semiconductor module further comprising a plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19) provided on said first insulation substrate (10), electrically connected parallel to each other between a negative side power supply (41B) and said conductor pattern (15),

at least one of said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19) being a switching element (18),

a plurality of first current paths between said positive side power supply (41A) and said conductor pattern (15) running through said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17) respectively, and a plurality of second current paths between said negative side power supply (41B) and said conductor pattern (15) running through said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19) respectively being aligned alternately along a periphery of said conductor pattern (15).

2. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17) is a diode (17) having a cathode connected to said positive side power supply (41A), and an anode connected to said conductor pattern (15), and

at least one of said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19) is a diode (19) having a cathode connected to said conductor pattern (15), and an anode connected to said negative side power supply (41B).

3. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 2, wherein a current path at each end among said plurality of first and second current paths is a current path running through a diode (17) among said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17), or a current path running through a diode (19) among said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19).

4. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17) and said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19) are arranged alternately substantially linearly on said first insulation substrate (10).

5. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more positive side power supply terminals (26) for applying voltage from said positive side power supply (41A) to a corresponding one or more of said plurality of first semiconductor elements (16, 17), and

one or more negative side power supply terminals (27) for applying voltage from said negative side power supply (41B) to a corresponding one or more of said plurality of second semiconductor elements (18, 19), wherein

each of said one or more positive side power supply terminals (26) and negative side power supply terminals (27) includes

one or more plate-like junction portions (26A, 26D, 27A, 27D) provided in proximity to a corresponding one or more semiconductor elements (16-19), respectively, and connected to said first insulation substrate, and

one or more plate-like bending portions (26B, 26E, 27B, 27E) continuous to said one or more junction portions (26A, 26D, 27A, 27D), respectively, and bent in a direction coming closer to the corresponding one or more semiconductor elements (16-19) from a distant direction.

6. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second insulation substrate (30) fixedly attached to a region partially covering said conductor pattern (15) on said first insulation substrate (10), and

a plurality of control terminals (31, 33A) on said second insulation substrate (30), for electrically connecting to control electrodes (16G, 18G) of a plurality of switching elements (16, 18), respectively, included in said plurality of first and second semiconductor elements (16-19).

7. The power semiconductor module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the switching element (16, 18) included in said plurality of first and second semiconductor elements is formed using a semiconductor material having a bandgap greater than the bandgap of silicon.