Semiconductor device

• US 6,885,097 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kono, Eiji, Maeno, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Eckert, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Chris C.
• Application Number:
  US10/019,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 257/698, 257/720, 257/712, 257/723, 257690-692, 257/724, 257/784, 257/107, 257/213, 361/813, 361/820, 361/832, 361/829, 361/781, 361/783, 361/775, 361/736, 361/752, 361/753
• US Class Current: 257/698
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49109 outside the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• 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 2924/00014 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 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01039 Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01068 Erbium [Er]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 : off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance

Abstract

A board-shaped thermal conductor base board (3) is arranged on the bottom surface of a power module (1). Substrates (4) and (5) are arranged on the top surface of the thermal conductor base board (3), and semiconductor elements (6) and (7) are respectively arranged on the top surfaces of the substrates (4) and (5). The semiconductor elements (6, 7) are surrounded by a resinous case (2). A source electrode (13) is attached above and apart from the semiconductor elements (6, 7) by using the resinous case (2). The connection between the source electrode (13) and the sources of the semiconductor elements (7) are connected by wire bonding.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of semiconductor elements arranged on a substrate;

a main current electrode, which is formed by a piece of metal, arranged near said plurality of semiconductor elements and vertically apart from the surface of the substrate, and

a case surrounding said plurality of semiconductor elements, wherein

each of said plurality of semiconductor elements and said main current electrode are electrically connected, and wherein said main current electrode bridges from one end of the substrate to an opposite end of the substrate and is arranged immediately above one of said plurality of semiconductor elements or a wiring pattern connected to the one of said plurality of semiconductor elements, and wherein both ends of said main current electrode are supported by said case.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

each of said plurality of semiconductor elements and said main current electrode are connected by wire bonding.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of semiconductor elements are switching elements.

4. the semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising

a thermal conductor at a bottom of the semiconductor device, wherein

said plurality of semiconductor elements are directly or indirectly connected to said thermal conductor member so that they are thermally coupled.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein

said thermal conductor member is formed with a ceramic material.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of semiconductor elements are arranged in one row or a plurality of rows.

7. A semiconductor device including one or a plurality of semiconductor elements, comprising:

a substrate on which the one or the plurality of semiconductor elements are arranged;

a case that is arranged in a predetermined position relative to said substrate so that one of the plurality of semiconductor elements are surrounded; and

a metal member on which a main current electrode of the one of the plurality of semiconductor elements and a terminal for electrically connecting said semiconductor device and a circuit external to said semiconductor device are formed integrally, wherein said metal member is arranged in a position apart from said substrate by using said case without directly contacting said substrate, and wherein said metal member bridges from one end of the substrate to an opposite end of the substrate.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein

said metal member is arranged above the one of the plurality of semiconductor elements or a wiring pattern connected to the one of the plurality of semiconductor elements.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein

said metal member and the semiconductor device are electrically connected by wire bonding.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein:

said case includes a frame portion surrounding the one of the plurality of semiconductor elements; and

said metal member is fixed to the frame portion of said case.