Power Converter

• US 20120320645A1
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujino, Shinichi, Takagi, Yusuke, Hakuto, Takuma
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/123
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40139 with an intermediate bond, e.g. continuous strap daisy chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49111 the connectors connecting two common bonding areas, e.g. Litz or braid wires
• 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 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/691 using transformer coupling

Abstract

A power converter which has a power module allowing supply and cutoff of main current, and a driver module controlling supply and cutoff of the main current allowed by the power module includes: a high potential side semiconductor device which allows supply and cutoff of the main current on the high potential side of the power module; a low potential side semiconductor device which allows supply and cutoff of the main current on the low potential side of the power module, and is connected with the high potential side semiconductor device in series; plural power module side wirings connected with respective electrodes contained in the high potential side semiconductor device and the low potential side semiconductor device, and disposed adjacent to each other substantially on the same plane as the power module in the order of applied potentials with a connection end between the plural power module side wirings and the driver module located along the end of the power module; plural driver module side wirings provided on the driver module as wirings connected with the plural corresponding power module side wirings, and disposed adjacent to each other substantially on the same plane as the driver module in the order corresponding to the positions of the plural power module side wirings in positions along the end of the driver module; a power source transformer as a circuit which converts a signal voltage for controlling the supply and cutoff of the main current by the driver module into voltage applied to a control electrode of the high potential side semiconductor device and a control electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device, plural terminals of the power source transformer in correspondence with the plural driver module side wirings being provided in the order of the positions of the plural corresponding driver module side wirings; and conductors disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided, and electrically connected in such positions as to surround magnetic flux generated by current looping at least through the power source transformer, the driver module side wirings, and the power module side wirings.

Claims

1. A power converter which includes a power module allowing supply and cutoff of main current, and a driver module controlling supply and cutoff of the main current allowed by the power module, comprising:

a high potential side semiconductor device which allows supply and cutoff of the main current on the high potential side of the power module;

a low potential side semiconductor device which allows supply and cutoff of the main current on the low potential side of the power module, and is connected with the high potential side semiconductor device in series;

plural power module side wirings connected with respective electrodes contained in the high potential side semiconductor device and the low potential side semiconductor device, and disposed adjacent to each other substantially on the same plane as the power module in the order of applied potentials with a connection end between the plural power module side wirings and the driver module located along the end of the power module;

plural driver module side wirings provided on the driver module as wirings connected with the plural corresponding power module side wirings, and disposed, adjacent to each other substantially on the same plane as the driver module in the order corresponding to the positions of the plural power module side wirings in positions along the end of the driver module;

a power source transformer as a circuit provided on the driver module to convert a signal voltage for controlling the supply and cutoff of the main current into voltage applied to a control electrode of the high potential side semiconductor device and a control electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device, plural terminals of the power source transformer in correspondence with the plural driver module side wirings being provided in the order of the positions of the plural corresponding driver module side wirings; and

conductors disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided, and electrically connected in such positions as to surround magnetic flux generated by current looping at least through the power source transformer, the driver module side wirings, and the power module side wirings.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the plural power module side wirings are disposed substantially on the same plane as the power module in such positions that current in one wiring of the power module side wirings flows in a direction opposed to the flow direction of current in another wiring of the power module side wirings disposed adjacent to the one wiring.

3. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein an input terminal through which the main current is inputted to the power module and an output terminal through which the main current is outputted from the power module are disposed at the end of the power module on the side opposite to the side where the connection end between the power module and the driver module is positioned.

4. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein:

there are provided on the plane where the plural power module side wirings are disposed,

a highest potential extracting wiring as a side of the highest potential wiring to which the highest potential is applied in the plural power module side wirings, disposed in an area on the side opposite to the side where the lowest potential wiring to which the lowest potential is applied in the plural power module side wirings is disposed, and electrically connected with the highest potential wiring, with a connection end between the highest voltage extracting wiring and the driver module disposed at the end of the power module on the side where the connection end between the plural power module side wirings and the driver module is positioned, and

a lowest potential extracting wiring disposed adjacent to the highest potential extracting wiring in the area on the opposite side in such a position that current flows in a direction opposed to the highest potential extracting wiring, and electrically connected with the lowest potential wiring, with a connection end between the lowest potential extracting wiring and the driver module disposed at the end of the power module on the side where the connection end between the plural power module side wirings and the driver module is positioned; and

the plural driver module side wirings contain wirings connected with the highest potential extracting wiring and the lowest potential extracting wiring, and are disposed in correspondence with the highest potential extracting wiring and the lowest potential extracting wiring as well.

5. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein a high potential side gate wiring contained in the plural power module side wirings and connected with a gate electrode of the high potential side semiconductor device, and a high potential side emitter wiring connected with an emitter electrode of the high potential side semiconductor device and the corresponding wiring of the plural driver module side wirings are disposed adjacent to each other in such positions that flow directions of currents flowing in the high potential side gate wiring and the high potential side emitter wiring are opposed to each other.

6. The power converter according to claim 5, wherein the emitter electrode of the high potential side semiconductor device is connected in parallel with a low potential side collector wiring connected with the high potential side emitter wiring and a collector electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device.

7. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein a low potential side gate wiring contained in the plural power module side wirings and connected with a gate electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device, and a low potential side emitter wiring connected with an emitter electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device and the corresponding wiring of the plural driver module side wirings are disposed adjacent to each other in such positions that flow directions of currents flowing in the low potential side gate wiring and the low potential side emitter wiring are opposed to each other.

8. The power converter according to claim 7, wherein the emitter electrode of the low potential side semiconductor device is connected in parallel with the low potential side emitter wiring and an output terminal wiring connected with an output terminal which outputs the main current from the power module.

9. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein:

the power module and the driver module are disposed adjacent to each other such that the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided become substantially parallel with each other; and

the conductors are disposed as integrated conductors in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided.

10. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein:

the power module and the driver module are disposed such that the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided become parallel with each other and overlap with each other; and

a first conductor disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and a second conductor disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided are electrically connected with each other by a fixing member which fixes at least either the first conductor or the second conductor.

11. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein:

the power module and the driver module are disposed such that the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided cross each other substantially at right angles; and

a first conductor disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural power module side wirings are provided and a second conductor disposed in the vicinity of the plane on which the plural driver module side wirings are provided are electrically connected with each other by a fixing member which fixes at least either the first conductor or the second conductor.

12. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein:

the driver module has a multilayer wiring substrate; and

current flowing in the driver module side wirings connected with the power module side wirings connected with the gate electrodes of the high potential side semiconductor device and the low potential side semiconductor device, and current flowing in the driver module side wirings connected with the power module side wirings connected with the emitter electrodes of the high potential side semiconductor device and the low potential side semiconductor device pass through different layers in the driver module to reach the power source transformer.