Cold Plate, Device Comprising a Cold Plate and Method for Fabricating a Cold Plate

• US 20160056088A1
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Uhlemann, Andre, Koch, Christoph, Schwarz, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/826,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20160056088A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/00 Soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering B23K3/00 takes precedence; characterised only by the use of special materials or media B23K35/00; dip or wave soldering in the manufacture of printed circuits H05K3/34
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 20/129 specially adapted for particular articles or workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 20/22 taking account of the properties of the materials to be welded
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/18 Dissimilar materials
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/21 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/323 involving parts made of dissimilar metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0026 specially adapted for particular articles or work
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/232 of different metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3736 Metallic materials H01L23/3732, H01L23/3733, H01L23/3735, H01L23/3737, H01L23/3738 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4924 characterised by the materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49811 Additional leads joined to the metallisation on the insulating substrate, e.g. pins, bumps, wires, flat leads H01L23/49827 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A cold plate includes a single piece member and a channel. A top side of the channel is open. A bottom side of the channel opposite the top side has an inlet and an outlet.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a semiconductor module; and

a cold plate comprised of a single piece member.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cold plate comprises a channel.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a main face of the semiconductor module forms a top part of an inner surface of the channel.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor module is a power semiconductor module.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the cold plate is coupled to the semiconductor module via one or more of a sintering bond, a solder bond, a welded joint, and an active metal brazing bond.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the cold plate comprises one or more of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, copper, and a copper alloy.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the semiconductor module comprises a base plate, and wherein the main face of the semiconductor module forming the top part of the inner surface of the channel is a main face of the base plate.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the semiconductor module comprises a substrate comprising a stack of more than one material layers, and wherein the main face of the semiconductor module forming the top part of the inner surface of the channel comprises an outer layer of the stack.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the single piece member comprises one or more of a stamped metal plate, a rolled metal plate, and a pressed metal plate.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the channel comprises structures configured to cause turbulences in a cooling fluid flowing through the channel.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein a main face of the semiconductor module forms a top part of an inner surface of the channel, and wherein the structures are arranged in a bottom part of the inner surface of the channel, opposite the top part.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the channel has a meandering shape.

13. A cold plate, comprising:

a channel,

wherein the cold plate is comprised of a single piece member, and

wherein a top side of the channel is open, and wherein a bottom side of the channel opposite the top side comprises an inlet and an outlet.

14. The cold plate of claim 13, wherein the channel comprises S-shaped side walls.

15. The cold plate of claim 13, wherein a depth of the channel is between 1 mm and 6 mm.

16. A method for fabricating a device, the method comprising:

providing a substrate configured for coupling a semiconductor chip to the substrate;

providing a cold plate comprising a channel; and

coupling the cold plate to the substrate,

wherein the cold plate is comprised of a single piece member.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the cold plate to the substrate comprises one or more of sintering, soldering, welding, and active metal brazing.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the cold plate to the substrate is performed such that no thermal grease layer is arranged between the semiconductor module and the cold plate.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the channel comprises an open top side, and wherein coupling the cold plate to the substrate comprises sealing the open top side of the channel with a main surface of the substrate.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is a Direct Copper Bond substrate, or a Direct Aluminum Bond substrate, or a Direct Copper Aluminum Bond substrate, or an Active Metal Braze substrate.