Power module

• US 6,501,172 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takanashi, Ken, Nakajima, Dai, Fukada, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Clark, Sheila V.
• Application Number:
  US09/671,172
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 257/714, 257/706, 257/707, 257/777, 257/723, 257/724, 257/686, 257/516
• US Class Current: 257/707
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6622 Coaxial feed-throughs in active or passive substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48139 with an intermediate bond, e.g. continuous wire daisy chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4824 Connecting between the body and an opposite side of the item with respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48472 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area also being a wedge bond, i.e. wedge-to-wedge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49111 the connectors connecting two common bonding areas, e.g. Litz or braid wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 the devices being arranged next to each other
• 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 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• 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 2924/01004 Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01016 : Sulfur [S]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01042 : Molybdenum [Mo]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01068 : Erbium [Er]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• 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 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 : in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/351 : Thermal stress
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14329 : specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars

Abstract

In a powder module (111), a free-wheeling diode (1A), an IGBH (1B), and a capacitor (20) for smoothing direct current are disposed directly on a surface (2BS) of a conductive heat sink (2B) with through holes (2BH). The rear electrodes of the free-wheeling diode (1A), the IGBT (1B), and the capacitor (20) are bonded to the heat sink (2B) for example with solder, whereby the diode (1A), the IGBT (1B), and the capacitor (20) are electrically connected with the heat sink (2B). The front electrodes of the diodes (1A), the IGBT (1B), and the capacitor (20) are connected with each other for example by wires (7). In the heat sink (2B), a cooling medium flows through the through holes (2BH). Such a configuration allows miniaturization of the power module and improves the cooling performance and reliability of the power module.

Claims

1. A power module comprising:

a heat sink;

a first power semiconductor device disposed directly on said heat sink;

a capacitor disposed directly on said heat sink;

an insulating substrate disposed on said heat sink; and

a second power semiconductor device disposed through said insulating substrate over said heat sink, wherein

said heat sink has conductivity and

an electrode of said first power semiconductor device and an electrode of said capacitor are directly bonded to said heat sink.

2. The power module according to claim 1, wherein

said heat sink has a plurality of surfaces; and

said first power semiconductor device and said capacitor are disposed on different ones of said surfaces of said heat sink.

3. The power module according to claim 1, wherein

said heat sink has a passage of a cooling medium.

4. The power module according to claim 1, further comprising:

another heat sink; and

a second power semiconductor device disposed directly on said another heat sink.

5. The power module according to claim 4, wherein

said another heat sink has conductivity;

and

an electrode of said second power semiconductor device is directly bonded to said another heat sink,

said power module further comprising;

an insulating member for insulating said another heat sink from said heat sink and said electrode of said capacitor.

6. The power module according to claim 5, further comprising:

a conductive member disposed on said insulating member; and

a flexible wire connected to said conductive member for providing an electrical connection between said first power semiconductor device and said second power semiconductor device.

7. The power module according to claim 1, wherein

said first power semiconductor device and said second power semiconductor device are electrically connected with each other;

said first power semiconductor device forms a lower arm of a power transducer; and

said second power semiconductor device forms an upper arm of said power transducer.

8. The power module according to claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of arms of said power transducer, including said upper arm and said lower arm; and

a coaxial line protruding through a surface on which said first or second power semiconductor device is disposed, said coaxial line including a first electrode for supplying a first voltage to said first power semiconductor device of each of said lower arms and a second electrode for supplying a second voltage to said second power semiconductor device of each of said upper arms,

wherein said plurality of arms are angularly spaced at regular intervals about said coaxial line.

9. The power module according to claim 4, wherein

said first power semiconductor device and said second power semiconductor device are electrically connected with each other;

said first power semiconductor device forms a lower arm of a power transducer; and

said second power semiconductor device forms an upper arm of said power transducer.

10. The power module comprising:

a plurality of heat sinks each having a passage of cooling medium;

a plurality of power semiconductor devices disposed on said heat sinks;

a capacitor disposed directly on each of said plurality of heat sinks; and

a casing having space and being capable of housing said plurality of heat sinks;

wherein said plurality of heat sinks are arranged within said space of said casing, leaving a clearance therebetween, whereby continuous space including said clearance and said passages is formed within said space of said casing.

11. The power module according to claim 10, wherein

said passages of said heat sinks pass an insulative cooling medium.