Film-type electrical resistor combination

• US 5,252,944 A
• Filed: 04/06/1992
• Issued: 10/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caddock Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Caddock Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Caddock, Richard B. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Application Number:
  US07/863,834
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 338/275, 338/230, 338/260, 338/232, 338/273, 338/333, 338/256, 338/309, 338/195-317, 174/52.2, 257/675, 257/716, 257/717, 257/796, 257/676, 257/670
• US Class Current: 338/275
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/034 the housing or enclosure being formed as coating or mould without outer sheath H01C1/032 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/084 using self-cooling, e.g. fins, heat sinks

Abstract

The film-type electrical power resistor includes a flat chip of aluminum oxide, having a resistive film screen-printed onto one of its sides. Leads are bonded to that side and electrically connected to the film, the leads being such that the chip may be cantilevered by the leads in a mold cavity before introduction of synthetic resin into the cavity, and with the lower chip surface spaced above the bottom cavity wall. A molded body is molded in the cavity to fully encapsulate the chip, film, and inner ends of the leads, there being no mold cup around the molded body. The molded body is formed of high thermal-conductivity thermosetting synthetic resin. Provided through the body is a bolthole for clamping of the resistor to an external chassis or heatsink. The space between the bottom surface of the chip and the flat bottom surface of the molded body is a heat-sinking volume formed of the high thermal-conductivity resin; and the bottom surface of such volume of resin is the bottom surface of the resistor. The stated volume does not contain any metal that is either in an electric circuit, or projects outwardly relative to the edges of the chip.

Claims

1. A film-type electrical power resistor, which comprises:

(a) a flat chip formed of a substance that is electrically insulating and has substantial thermal conductivity,

said chip having an upper side and a lower side,

(b) a resistive film applied to said upper side of said chip,

(c) leads bonded to said upper side of said chip and electrically connected to said film on said upper side of said chip,

said leads being adapted to cantilever said chip with said film thereon in a mold cavity, during manufacture of the power resistor, prior to introduction of synthetic resin into said mold cavity, with said lower chip side spaced above the bottom wall of said cavity, and

(d) a molded body molded in said mold cavity and substantially fully encapsulating said chip, said film, and the inner ends of said leads,

said molded body having a flat bottom surface, said molded body not having any mold cup therearound,

said molded body being formed of a high thermal-conductivity synthetic resin, said molded body having a bolthole therethrough for clamping of said resistor in effective heat-transfer relationship to a flat surface of a chassis or heatsink,

the space between said lower side of said chip and said flat bottom surface of said molded body being a heat-sinking volume formed of said high thermal-conductivity resin, the bottom surface of said volume of resin being the bottom surface of the resistor, said volume not containing any metal layer that is either in an electric circuit or projects outwardly relative to the edges of said chip.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said resin is high thermal-conductivity epoxy.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said chip substance is a ceramic.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which said ceramic is aluminum oxide.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 2, in which said chip is formed of aluminum oxide ceramic.

6. A power resistor combination, which comprises:

(a) a flat chassis or heatsink region having a bolthole therethrough,

(b) a flat chip formed of a substance that is electrically insulating and has substantial thermal conductivity,

said chip having an upper side and a lower side,

(c) a resistive film applied to said upper side of said chip,

(d) leads bonded to said upper side of said chip and electrically connected to said film on said upper side of said chip,

said leads being such that said chip with said film thereon may be cantilevered by said leads in a mold cavity, during manufacture of the power resistor, prior to introduction of synthetic resin into said mold cavity, with said lower chip side spaced above the bottom of said cavity,

(a) a molded body molded in said mold cavity and substantially fully encapsulating said chip, said film, and the inner ends of said leads,

said molded body being formed of a high thermal-conductivity synthetic resin, said molded body not having any mold cup therearound,

said molded body having a bolthole therethrough for clamping of said resistor to a chassis or heatsink, said molded body having a flat surface generally parallel to said chip and on the side of said chip that is relatively remote from said resistive film, said flat surface of said molded body being disposed in flatwise engagement with said flat chassis or heatsink region, whereby heat from said film passes through said chip and through part of said body in order to reach said flat surface of said body and thus said chassis or heatsink region, and

(f) a bolt extended through said boltholes in said body and chassis or heatsink region to maintain said flat surface of said body in high-thermal-conductivity engagement with said flat chassis or heatsink region, and

the space between the bottom surface of said chip and said flat bottom surface of said molded body being a heat-sinking volume formed of said high thermal-conductivity resin, the bottom surface of said volume of resin being said flat surface of said body and being the bottom surface of the resistor, said volume not containing any metal layer that is either in an electric circuit or projects outwardly relative to the edges of said chip.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 6, in which said resin is high thermal-conductivity epoxy.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 6, in which said chip substance is a ceramic.

9. The invention as claimed in claim 8, in which said ceramic is aluminum oxide.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 8, in which said chip is aluminum oxide ceramic.

11. A film-type power resistor, which comprises:

(a) an elongate thin rectangular molded body formed of high thermal conductivity synthetic resin,

said body having flat upper and lower surfaces that are substantially parallel to each other,

said body having a bolthole therethrough at a location relatively near one end of said body and extending in a direction perpendicular to said surfaces,

said body not having any mold cup therearound,

(b) a flat ceramic chip embedded in said molded body and substantially parallel to said upper and lower surfaces,

said chip being between said bolthole and the other end of said body,

said chip not being present in or around the portion of said body through which said bolthole extends,

said chip being spaced below said upper surface and spaced above said lower surface,

(c) termination traces and pads adhered to the upper surface of said ceramic chip,

(d) a resistive film adhered to said upper surface of said ceramic chip and also adhered to said termination traces, and

(e) leads having inner portions overlapping said chip and conducively bonded to said pads,

outer portions of said leads projecting out of said body in parallel relationship to each other,

said leads being such that said chip with said film thereon may be cantilevered by said leads in a mold cavity, during manufacture of the power resistor, prior to introduction of synthetic resin into said mold cavity, with the lower surface of said chip spaced above the bottom of the cavity,

the space between said lower surface of said chip and said flat lower surface of said molded body being a heat-sinking volume formed of said high thermal-conductivity resin, the bottom surface of said volume of resin being said flat lower surface of said body, said volume not containing any metal layer that is either in an electric circuit or projects outwardly relative to the edges of said chip.

12. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which said resin is high thermal-conductivity epoxy and said ceramic chip is aluminum oxide ceramic, said epoxy having a thermal conductivity of about 2.5 W/m K.

13. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which said resistive film is screen-printed thick film.

14. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which the upper surface of said chip is spaced farther from said lower surface of said body than from said upper surface of said body.

15. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which said resin is high thermal-conductivity epoxy and said ceramic chip is aluminum oxide ceramic, the upper surface of said chip being spaced farther from said lower surface of said body than from said upper surface of said body.

16. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which a flat external metal or heatsink region is provided and has a bolthole therethrough, in which said lower surface of said body is mounted in flatwise engagement with said chassis region, and in which a bolt is extended through both of said boltholes to maintain said lower surface of said body in high heat-transfer relationship to said chassis region, whereby heat from said film passes through said chip and the body portion therebeneath to said lower body surface and thus to said chassis region.

17. The invention as claimed in claim 11, in which said resin is high thermal conductivity epoxy and said ceramic chip is aluminum oxide ceramic, the upper surface of said chip being spaced farther from said lower surface of said body than from said upper surface of said body, in which a flat metal chassis region is provided and has a bolthole therethrough, in which said lower surface of said body is mounted in flatwise engagement with said chassis region, and in which a bolt is extended through both of said boltholes to maintain said lower surface of said body in high heat transfer relationship to said chassis region, whereby heat from said film passes through said chip and the body portion therebeneath to said lower surface and thus to said chassis region.

18. The invention as claimed in claim 13, in which said resistive film is a substantially solid film, in which a trimming slot is provided through said resistive film, in which said termination traces are substantially parallel to each other, and in which said trimming slot is substantially perpendicular to said termination traces, whereby said trimming slot is parallel to the direction of current follow through said resistive film between said termination traces, and in which there is no substantial trimming slot or slot portion in said film that is not substantially perpendicular to said termination traces.

19. The invention as claimed in claim 18, in which a barrier coating is provided over said resistive film, between it and said high thermal-conductivity synthetic resin body, to prevent said synthetic resin body from adversely affecting said resistive film.

20. The invention as claimed in claim 19, in which said barrier coating is glass having a firing temperature much lower than that of said resistive film.