Semiconductor power module with SiC power diodes and method for its production

• US 7,737,551 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Otremba, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Eugene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gumedzoe; Peniel M
• Application Number:
  US11/428,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 257/723, 257/724, 257/E23.044, 257/177, 257/728
• US Class Current: 257/724
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• 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 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• 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 2224/48699 Principal constituent of the connecting portion of the wire connector being Aluminium (Al)
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49051 Connectors having different shapes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85399 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4952 the additional leads being a bump or a wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49562 for devices being provided for in H01L29/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49575 Assemblies of semiconductor devices on lead frames
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• 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 24/73 Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/18 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 : Silicon carbide
• 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 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01068 : Erbium [Er]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01322 : Eutectic Alloys, i.e. obtained by a liquid transforming into two solid phases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01327 : Intermediate phases, i.e. intermetallics compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10272 : Silicon Carbide [SiC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits

Abstract

A semiconductor power module has at least one power semiconductor chip (2) which can be controlled by the field effect and has a plurality of fail-safe, small-area SiC power diodes (D₁ to D₈). The function of a large-area SiC power diode chip which is susceptible to failure is distributed over these small-area, parallel-connected SiC power diode chips (D₁ to D₈) in such a way that their total area of active SiC diode areas (F₁ to F₈) corresponds to an area extent of a large-area non-fail-safe SiC power diode chip.

Claims

1. A semiconductor power module comprising at least one field effect power semiconductor chip and a plurality of fail-safe, small-area SiC power diodes connected in parallel and disposed within a housing frame, wherein the function of a large-area SiC power diode chip which is susceptible to failure is distributed over the small-area, parallel-connected SiC power diodes in such a way that total area of active SiC diode areas corresponds to an area of a large-area non-fail-safe SiC power diode chip,

wherein the small-area, parallel-connected SiC power diodes are arranged in rows and columns alongside one another, with one looped-through bonding wire in each row connecting electrodes on upper faces of the SiC power diode chips in one row, respectively and with a common looped-through bonding wire joining the bonding wires of the rows together along a column and connecting them directly, without any intervening electrodes, to a contact pad area of a flat conductor that passes through the housing frame.

2. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1, wherein electrodes on rear faces of the small-area SiC power chips are electrically connected to one another via a metallic layer, with the rear faces being electrically connected to the metallic layer via a diffusion solder.

3. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor power module has at least one further silicon-based semiconductor chip, which has an integrated control circuit.

4. The semiconductor power module according to claim 3, wherein the further silicon-based semiconductor chip is positioned on an active upper face of the field effect power semiconductor chip.

5. The semiconductor power module according to claim 3, wherein the further silicon-based semiconductor chip is configured to perform temperature monitoring for the field effect power semiconductor chip arranged underneath.

6. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1, wherein the small-area SiC power diodes and the bonding wires are arranged in the housing frame as a semiconductor power component housing, the housing frame being a metallic housing frame.

7. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1, wherein the small-area SiC power diodes and the bonding wires are arranged in the housing frame as a semiconductor power component housing, which is ceramic and has a metallic bottom coating and a covering plate.

8. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1, wherein the small-area SiC power diodes and the bonding wires are arranged in the housing frame as a semiconductor power component housing, the housing frame comprising a plastic housing compound and having a metallic bottom plate and metallic flat conductors which project out of the hollow housing.

9. A semiconductor power module comprising at least one field effect power semiconductor chip and a plurality of fail-safe, small-area SiC power diodes connected in parallel and disposed within a housing frame, wherein the function of a large-area SiC power diode chip which is susceptible to failure is distributed over the small-area, parallel-connected SiC power diodes in such a way that a total area of active SiC diode areas corresponds to an area of a large-area non-fail-safe SiC power diode chip, wherein the electrodes on upper faces of the small-area SiC power diodes are electrically connected to one another via looped-through bonding connections, and the electrodes on rear faces of the small-area SiC power chips are electrically connected to one another via a metallic layer, with the rear faces being electrically connected to the metallic layer via a diffusion solder,

wherein the small-area, parallel-connected SiC power diodes are arranged in rows and columns alongside one another, with one looped-through bonding wire in each row connecting electrodes on upper faces of the SiC power diode chips in one row, respectively and with a common looped-through bonding wire joining the bonding wires of the rows together along a column and connecting them directly, without any intervening electrodes, to a contact pad area of a flat conductor that passes through the housing frame.

10. A semiconductor power module comprising:

a housing frame;

a field effect power semiconductor chip disposed within the housing frame;

a flat conductor passing through the housing frame; and

a plurality of SiC power diodes connected in parallel and disposed within the housing frame, wherein the SiC power diodes are arranged in rows alongside one another, wherein in each of the rows a looped-through bonding wire connects electrodes of the SiC power diodes in that respective row, and wherein a common looped-through bonding wire joins the bonding wires of the rows together and connects them directly, without any intervening electrodes, to the flat conductor.