PACKAGE CONFIGURATIONS FOR LOW EMI CIRCUITS

• US 20110101466A1
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transphorm Technology, Inc. (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company LP)
• Original Assignee: Transphorm, Inc (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company LP)
• Inventors: Wu, Yifeng
• Granted Patent: US 8,138,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/392
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4803 Insulating or insulated parts, e.g. mountings, containers, diamond heatsinks H01L21/4846 takes precedence; printed circuit boards H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4814 Conductive parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4871 Bases, plates or heatsinks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/77 Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in, or on, a common substrate electrically programmable read-only memories or multistep manufacturing processes therefor H10B69/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/057 the leads being parallel to the base
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/115 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• 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 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• 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

An electronic component includes a high voltage switching transistor encased in a package. The high voltage switching transistor comprises a source electrode, a gate electrode, and a drain electrode all on a first side of the high voltage switching transistor. The source electrode is electrically connected to a conducting structural portion of the package. Assemblies using the abovementioned transistor with another transistor can be formed, where the source of one transistor can be electrically connected to a conducting structural portion of a package containing the transistor and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to the second conductive structural portion of a package that houses the second transistor. Alternatively, the source of the second transistor is electrically isolated from its conductive structural portion, and the drain of the second transistor is electrically isolated from its conductive structural portion.

Claims

1. An electronic component comprising a high voltage switching transistor encased in a package, wherein

the high voltage switching transistor comprises a source electrode, a gate electrode, and a drain electrode all on a first side of the high voltage switching transistor, and

the source electrode is electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of the package.

2. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is a lateral device.

3. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is a III-N transistor.

4. The electronic component of claim 3, wherein the high voltage switching transistor comprises an insulating or semi-insulating substrate.

5. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is configured to operate at a bias of about 300V or higher.

6. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is an enhancement mode transistor.

7. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the conductive structural portion of the package comprises a package base.

8. The electronic component of claim 7, wherein the conductive structural portion of the package further comprises a package case.

9. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the conductive structural portion of the package is electrically connected to a heat sink.

10. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the conductive structural portion of the package is electrically connected to a circuit ground or a DC ground.

11. The electronic component of claim 10, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is a III-N transistor comprising an insulating or semi-insulating portion.

12. The electronic component of claim 11, wherein the insulating or semi-insulating portion is an insulating or semi-insulating substrate.

13. The electronic component of claim 11, wherein the high voltage switching transistor is mounted directly on the conductive structural portion of the package with the insulating or semi-insulating portion adjacent to or contacting the conductive structural portion of the package.

14. The electronic component of claim 13, wherein a first ratio of EMI power produced during operation of the electronic component to a total output power of the electronic component is less than a second ratio of EMI power produced during operation of a second electronic component to a total output power of the second electronic component, wherein the second electronic component comprises a high voltage switching transistor with a drain electrode electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of a package of the second electronic component, and the conductive structural portion of the package of the second electronic component is separated from the circuit ground or the DC ground by an insulating spacer.

15. The electronic component of claim 13, wherein a first ratio of switching power loss incurred during operation of the electronic component to a total output power of the electronic component is less than a second ratio of switching power loss incurred during operation of a second component to a total output power of the second electronic component, wherein the second electronic component comprises a high voltage switching transistor with a drain electrode electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of a package of the second electronic component, and the conductive structural portion of the package of the second electronic component is separated from the circuit ground or the DC ground by an insulating spacer.

16. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the package further comprises a gate lead, a source lead, and a drain lead, wherein the drain lead is between the gate lead and the source lead.

17. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the package further comprises a gate lead, a source lead, and a drain lead, wherein the source lead is between the gate lead and the drain lead.

18. An assembly, comprising:

a first transistor encased in a first package, the first package comprising a first conductive structural portion; and

a second transistor encased in a second package, the second package comprising a second conductive structural portion;

wherein

a source of the first transistor is electrically connected to the first conductive structural portion and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to the second conductive structural portion.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a high voltage switching transistor.

20. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the first conductive structural portion is mounted directly on a heat sink and is electrically connected to the heat sink.

21. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the first conductive structural portion is electrically connected to a circuit ground or a DC ground.

22. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the second conductive structural portion is electrically connected to a DC high voltage supply.

23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the second conductive structural portion is separated from a circuit ground or a DC ground by an insulating spacer.

24. The assembly of claim 23, wherein a capacitance between the second conductive structural portion and the circuit ground or the DC ground causes the second conductive structural portion to be AC grounded.

25. The assembly of claim 18, wherein a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a source of the second transistor.

26. The assembly of claim 25, wherein the first transistor is a low-side switch and the second transistor is a high-side switch.

27. A half bridge comprising the assembly of claim 18.

28. A bridge circuit comprising a plurality of the half bridges of claim 27.

29. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a III-N transistor.

30. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a lateral device.

31. An assembly, comprising

a first transistor comprising a first source, the first transistor encased in a first package, the first package comprising a first conductive structural portion, and

a second transistor comprising a second source and a second drain, the second transistor encased in a second package, the second package comprising a second conductive structural portion, wherein

the first source is electrically connected to the first conductive structural portion, the second source is electrically isolated from the second conductive structural portion, and the second drain is electrically isolated from the second conductive structural portion.

32. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a high voltage switching transistor.

33. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the first conductive structural portion or the second conductive structural portion is mounted directly on a heat sink and is electrically connected to the heat sink.

34. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the first conducting structural portion or the second conducting structural portion is electrically connected to a circuit ground or a DC ground.

35. The assembly of claim 31, wherein a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a source of the second transistor.

36. The assembly of claim 35, wherein the first transistor is a low-side switch and the second transistor is a high-side switch.

37. A half bridge comprising the assembly of claim 31.

38. A bridge circuit comprising a plurality of the half bridges of claim 37.

39. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a III-N transistor.

40. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a lateral device.

41. An electronic component, comprising

a first transistor, comprising a first source and a first drain,

a second transistor, comprising a second source and a second drain, and

a single package comprising a conductive structural portion, the package encasing both the first transistor and the second transistor, wherein

the first source is electrically connected to the conductive structural portion of the package, the first drain is electrically connected to the second source, and the first transistor is directly mounted to the conductive structural portion of the package.

42. The electronic component of claim 41, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor share a common substrate.

43. The electronic component of claim 42, wherein the substrate is an insulating or semi-insulating substrate.

44. The electronic component of claim 42, wherein the first drain and the second source are formed of a single electrode.

45. The electronic component of claim 41, further comprising a capacitor, wherein the package encases the capacitor.

46. The electronic component of claim 45, wherein the second drain is electrically connected to a first terminal of the capacitor and a second terminal of the capacitor is electrically connected to the conductive structural portion of the package.

47. The electronic component of claim 41, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a high voltage switching transistor.

48. The electronic component of claim 41, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a III-N transistor.

49. The electronic component of claim 41, wherein the first transistor or the second transistor is a lateral device.

50. The electronic component of claim 41, wherein the package comprises a first source lead, a first gate lead, a first drain lead, a second gate lead, and a second drain lead.

51. The electronic component of claim 50, wherein the first transistor further comprises a first gate, the second transistor further comprises a second gate, the conductive structural portion of the package is electrically connected to the first source lead, the first gate is electrically connected to the first gate lead, the second gate is electrically connected to the second gate lead, the second drain is electrically connected to the second drain lead, and the first drain and the second source are both electrically connected to the first drain lead.