Low thermal resistance power module assembly

• US 7,190,581 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alliance For Sustainable Energy LLC
• Original Assignee: Midwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Vlahinos, Andreas, Hassani, Vahab, Bharathan, Desikan
• Primary Examiner(s): Datskovskiy; Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/032,771
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 361/689, 361698-699, 361701-704, 361/707, 361/710, 361/714, 361/715, 361717-722, 165/80.3, 165/80.4, 257713-714, 257/723, 257/731, 257/789, 257/678, 257/796, 622/592, 174/16.3, 174/252, 295/21, 295/57, 295/05, 298/40, 298/900.3, 298/41
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/291 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3677 Wire-like or pin-like cooling fins or heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• 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 2924/014 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 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A power module assembly with low thermal resistance and enhanced heat dissipation to a cooling medium. The assembly includes a heat sink or spreader plate with passageways or openings for coolant that extend through the plate from a lower surface to an upper surface. A circuit substrate is provided and positioned on the spreader plate to cover the coolant passageways. The circuit substrate includes a bonding layer configured to extend about the periphery of each of the coolant passageways and is made up of a substantially nonporous material. The bonding layer may be solder material which bonds to the upper surface of the plate to provide a continuous seal around the upper edge of each opening in the plate. The assembly includes power modules mounted on the circuit substrate on a surface opposite the bonding layer. The power modules are positioned over or proximal to the coolant passageways.

Claims

1. A power module assembly with low thermal resistance, comprising:

a heat sink plate with a lower surface and an upper surface, the heat sink plate comprising a plurality of passageways for coolant extending from the lower surface to the upper surface;

a circuit substrate positioned on the heat sink plate covering the coolant passageways, wherein the circuit substrate comprises a bonding layer extending about the periphery of each of the coolant passageways and comprising a material nonporous to the coolant; and

a set of power modules mounted on the circuit substrate opposite the bonding layer, each of the power modules being positioned on the circuit substrate over only one of the coolant passageways, wherein coolant flowing separately into each of the coolant passageways of the heat sink plate directly contacts the circuit substrate in an area opposite and proximate to each one of the power modules.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bonding layer comprises a material with high thermal conductivity bonded to the upper surface of the heat sink plate.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the bonding layer material comprises solder material.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the coolant passageways has a circular cross section with a sidewall extending from the lower surface to the upper surface of the heat sink plate.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the sidewalls slope inward from the lower surface such that each of the coolant passageways has a diameter at the lower surface that is greater than a diameter at the upper surface of the heat sink plate.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power modules each comprise an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module and the circuit substrate further comprises a direct bonded copper (DBC) substrate bonded to the bonding layer and to the IGBT module, the DBC substrate comprising a pair of layers of copper sandwiching a ceramic isolation layer.

7. An electronic assembly with low thermal resistance, comprising:

a metallic spreader plate with a lower surface and an upper surface and a heat dissipation opening extending through the plate from the upper surface to the lower surface;

a circuit substrate;

a bonding and sealing layer disposed between the circuit substrate and the plate and bonding the circuit substrate to the upper surface of the plate; and

an electric component layer positioned on the circuit substrate distal to the plate comprising an integrated circuit (IC) generating heat during operation, the heat dissipating at least in part through the circuit substrate to a cooling medium in the heat dissipation opening, wherein the bonding and sealing layer blocks flow of the cooling medium between the circuit substrate and the plate;

wherein the heat dissipation opening has a circular cross section with a diameter at the upper surface that is lower than a diameter at the lower surface; and

wherein the heat dissipation opening comprises a side wall with a plurality of channels extending from the lower surface to the upper surface of the plate.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the bonding and sealing layer is positioned about the periphery of the heat dissipation opening, whereby the cooling medium in the heat dissipation opening contacts the circuit substrate.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the bonding and sealing layer comprises a nonporous solder material.

10. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the circuit substrate further comprises a plurality of cooling rods positioned within the heat dissipation opening and contacting and extending away from an electrical conductor layer of the circuit substrate.

11. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the IC comprises an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and the electronic component layer further comprises a silicon die and wherein the circuit substrate comprises a ceramic isolation layer between an upper and a lower layer of electrically conductive material, the lower layer being sealably bonded to the bonding and sealing layer and being at least partially exposed to the cooling medium in the heat dissipation opening.

12. A method of manufacturing a power module assembly with low thermal resistance, comprising:

providing a power module substrate comprising a plurality of power modules distributed in a pattern on a circuit substrate, the circuit substrate comprising a pair of electrical conductor layers with a ceramic isolation layer there between;

providing a metallic plate having a thickness;

based on the power module pattern, making a hole through the thickness of the plate for each of the power modules, wherein one of the holes is provided to extend through the plate to a particular one of the power modules to provide a path for coolant flowing on a first side of the plate flow to each of the power modules through the plate thickness;

applying a bonding material to an upper surface of the plate, wherein the bonding material is applied continuously about the periphery of each of the holes in the plate; and

bonding the plate to the power module substrate, wherein the holes in the plate are substantially aligned with the power modules with a central axis of the holes substantially aligned with a center of one of the power modules and wherein one of the electrical conductor layers mates with the bonding material.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the bonding material comprises solder and the bonding comprises soldering the plate to the one of the electrical conductor layers with the solder.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein bonding material is substantially nonporous to liquids and after the bonding, the bonding material forms a liquid-tight seal between the upper surface of the plate and the mating one of the electrical conductor layers.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the making comprises punching the holes in the plate.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the holes are tapered with a diameter that increases with distance from the circuit substrate.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the power modules each comprise an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) in a silicon die and wherein the circuit substrate comprises a direct bonded copper (DBC) substrate.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing of the power module substrate comprises providing the silicon dies with the IGBTs and the DBC substrate and then, bonding the silicon dies to the second one of the electrical conductor layers in the power module pattern.

19. A method of manufacturing an electronic assembly with low thermal resistance, comprising:

providing a plurality of heat-generating electronic components distributed in a pattern on a circuit substrate, the circuit substrate comprising a pair of electrical conductor layers with an isolation layer there between;

providing a metallic plate having a thickness;

based on the power module pattern, making a hole through the thickness of the plate for each of the electronic components, wherein the holes are tapered to increase in size with distance from the circuit substrate; and

bonding the plate to the circuit substrate, wherein the holes in the plate are substantially aligned with the electronic components with a central axis of the holes substantially aligned with a center of one of the electronic components.

20. A power module assembly with low thermal resistance, comprising:

a heat sink plate with a lower surface and an upper surface, the heat sink plate comprising a plurality of passageways for coolant extending from the lower surface to the upper surface;

a circuit substrate positioned on the heat sink plate covering the coolant passageways, wherein the circuit substrate comprises a bonding layer extending about the periphery of each of the coolant passageways and comprising a material nonporous to the coolant; and

a set of power modules mounted on the circuit substrate opposite the bonding layer, each of the power modules being positioned on the circuit substrate proximal to one of the coolant passageways;

wherein each of the coolant passageways has a circular cross section with a sidewall extending from the lower surface to the upper surface of the heat sink plate and wherein the sidewalls slope inward from the lower surface such that each of the coolant passageways has a diameter at the lower surface that is greater than a diameter at the upper surface of the heat sink plate.