Inverter and vehicle drive unit using the same

• US 7,589,400 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shigeta, Satoru, Hozoji, Hiroshi, Morita, Toshiaki, Suwa, Tokihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Parekh; Nitin
• Application Number:
  US11/206,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 257/692, 257/690, 257/779, 257/691, 257/673, 257/737, 257/723, 257/E23.047
• US Class Current: 257/673
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/37124 Aluminium [Al] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/37147 Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/37611 Tin [Sn] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/37644 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/37655 Nickel [Ni] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4007 of bonding interfaces, e.g. interlocking features
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40095 Kinked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45147 Copper (Cu) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• 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 2224/73221 Strap and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/84345 Shape, e.g. interlocking features
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/84801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/37 : of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/40 : of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/84 : using a strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/91 : Methods for connecting semiconductor or solid state bodies including different methods provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/80 - H01L24/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/95 : at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• 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 2924/00011 : Not 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 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01026 : Iron [Fe]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01028 : Nickel [Ni]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0103 : Zinc [Zn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01049 : Indium [In]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01051 : Antimony [Sb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• 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 2924/1306 : Field-effect transistor [FET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/351 : Thermal stress
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 : Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

The inverter has a plurality of arms for conducting or cutting off a current and each arm has a switching device and a first and a second wiring layer for connecting the switching device. The first and second wiring layers of each arm are respectively formed on insulating substrates, and one face of the switching device is fixed to the first wiring layer, and the second wiring layer and the other face of the switching device are electrically connected by a laminal conductor, and the laminal conductor has a first and a second connection, and the first connection of the laminal conductor is fixed to the other face of the switching device, and the second connection of the laminal conductor is fixed to the second wiring layer.

Thereby, a large current of the inverter can be realized and the assembly capacity of the inverter or the vehicle drive unit will be improved.

Claims

1. An inverter on board of a vehicle for converting a direct current supplied from a direct current power source to an alternating current for driving a motor on board of said vehicle, wherein:

said inverter has a plurality of arms for conducting and cutting off the current and said each arm has a plurality of switching devices and a first and a second wiring layer for connecting said switching devices,

the plurality of switching devices in said each arm are constituted so that they are connected in parallel electrically,

said first and second wiring layers of said each arm are respectively formed on an insulating substrate and one face of said switching devices is fixed to said first wiring layer,

said second wiring layer and the other faces of said switching devices are electrically connected by a laminal conductor,

said laminal conductor is arranged ranging over said plurality of switching devices, and has first connecting portions fixed to the other faces of said switching devices and second connecting portion fixed to the second wiring layer, and

said laminal conductor is equipped with slits which divide said first connecting portions for each of said switching devices.

2. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein:

said connection faces of said first and second connections of said laminal conductor and said other face of said switching device or said second wiring layer are connected by solder balls.

3. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein:

said first connection of said laminal conductor is fixed to said other face of said switching apparatus and said laminal conductor has a shape bent in the neighborhood of said second connection of said connection fixed to said other face in a direction separating from said first wiring layer to which said one face of said switching apparatus is fixed.

4. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein:

said inverter has a positive pole side wire and a negative pole side wire for supplying the direct current to said inverter from the direct current power source,

the plurality of arms consist of phases U, V, and W for generating the alternating current of phases U, V, and W,

the arms of phases U, V, and W are connected in parallel mutually between the positive pole side wire and the negative pole side wire,

each arm of phases U, V, and W has an upper arm and a lower arm, respectively,

each upper arm and each lower arm has the plurality of switching devices electrically connected in parallel, respectively,

the switching devices are connected electrically in parallel between the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer, respectively, by connection that fixes the one face thereof to the first wiring layer and connects the other face thereof to the second wiring layer using the laminal conductor.