Direct cooled power electronics substrate

• US 7,796,388 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Tennessee Research Foundation (University of Teesside), UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Lowe, Kirk T., Wiles, Randy H., Wereszczak, Andrew A., Ayers, Curtis W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOFFBERG, ROBERT JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/400,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 361676-678, 361/699, 361/702, 361/704, 361715-720, 165/80.4, 165/104.33, 165/185, 363/141
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3735 Laminates or multilayers, e.g. direct bond copper ceramic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/07 the devices being of a type provided for in group H01L29/00
• 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 2924/1305 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: H01L 2924/15787 Ceramics, e.g. crystalline carbides, nitrides or oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

The disclosure describes directly cooling a three-dimensional, direct metallization (DM) layer in a power electronics device. To enable sufficient cooling, coolant flow channels are formed within the ceramic substrate. The direct metallization layer (typically copper) may be bonded to the ceramic substrate, and semiconductor chips (such as IGBT and diodes) may be soldered or sintered onto the direct metallization layer to form a power electronics module. Multiple modules may be attached to cooling headers that provide in-flow and out-flow of coolant through the channels in the ceramic substrate. The modules and cooling header assembly are preferably sized to fit inside the core of a toroidal shaped capacitor.

Claims

1. A power electronics module operable in conjunction with a cooling system, the power electronics module comprising:

a substrate with a cross-section which forms a polygon, the substrate having,

a first end portion disposed at a first end of the substrate, the first end portion operable to attach and seal to a coolant input header of the cooling system;

a second end portion disposed at a second end of the substrate which is opposite the first end, the second end portion operable to attach and seal to a coolant output header of the cooling system;

an outer peripheral surface extending between the first and second end portions, the outer peripheral surface comprising a plurality of planar facets that each coincide with a corresponding side of the polygon;

a substrate interior enclosed by the outer peripheral surface and the first and second end portions; and

one or more coolant flow channels passing through the substrate interior for carrying liquid coolant from the cooling system, wherein one or more of the coolant flow channels have an inlet opening at the first end portion of the substrate for receiving the liquid coolant from the cooling system and an outlet opening at the second end portion of the substrate for returning the liquid coolant to the cooling system;

a metal layer disposed directly on at least two adjacent planar facets of the plurality of planar facets; and

one or more power electronic devices attached to the metal layer on each planar facet of the at least two planar facets.

2. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein the one or more coolant flow channels comprise a plurality of coolant flow channels disposed adjacent and spaced radially around the outer peripheral surface.

3. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein one or more of the coolant flow channels are helical.

4. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein the metal layer comprises a Direct Metallization (DM) layer.

5. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein the metal layer comprises a copper layer.

6. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the metal layer is disposed directly on a first facet of the at least two planar facets and is electrically connected to a second portion of the metal layer disposed directly on one or more adjacent facets of the at least two planar facets.

7. The power electronics module of claim 1 further comprising a first power connector tab connected to a first portion of the metal layer disposed directly on a first facet of the plurality of planar facets and a second power connector tab connected to a second portion of the metal layer disposed directly on another of the facets of the plurality of planar facets.

8. The power electronics module of claim 7 wherein the first power connector tab is disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the second power connector tab.

9. The power electronics module of claim 1 wherein the first end portion of the power electronics assembly is operable to attach and seal to the second end portion of an adjacent power electronics module in a stacked configuration.

10. A power electronics assembly comprising:

a toroidal-shaped capacitor having an interior cavity;

a first header of a cooling system disposed within the interior cavity of the toroidal-shaped capacitor;

a second header of the cooling system disposed within the interior cavity of the toroidal-shaped capacitor; and

a plurality of power electronics modules disposed within the interior cavity of the toroidal-shaped capacitor and between the first and second headers, each of the power electronics modules comprising;

a substrate having;

a three-dimensional outer peripheral surface;

a first end portion disposed at a first end of the substrate, the first end portion operable to attach and seal to the first header of the cooling system;

a second end portion disposed at a second end of the substrate which is opposite the first end, the second end portion operable to attach and seal to the second header of the cooling system;

a substrate interior disposed within the three-dimensional outer peripheral surface and between the first and second end portions;

one or more coolant flow channels passing through the substrate interior for carrying liquid coolant from the cooling system;

a plurality of planar facets disposed on the three-dimensional outer peripheral surface and between the first and second end portions of the substrate, wherein at least one of the planar facets is disposed in a nonparallel relationship with another of the planar facets;

a metal layer disposed on one or more of the planar facets; and

one or more power electronic devices attached to the metal layer.

11. The power electronics assembly of claim 10 wherein

the plurality of power electronics modules are disposed in two adjacent rows, including a first row and a second row,

wherein each of the power electronics modules includes a first power connector tab connected to a first portion of the metal layer disposed on one of the facets of the plurality of planar facets and a second power connector tab connected to a second portion of the metal layer disposed on another of the facets of the plurality of planar facets, and

wherein the first power connector tabs of the power electronics modules in the first row are electrically connected to the second power connector tabs of the power electronics modules in the second row.

12. The power electronics assembly of claim 11 wherein the first power connector tab of each power electronics module is disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the second power connector tab.

13. A power electronics module operable in conjunction with a cooling system, the power electronics module comprising:

a substrate with a cross-section which forms a polygon, the substrate having,

a first end portion disposed at a first end of the substrate, the first end portion operable to attach and seal to a coolant input header of the cooling system;

a second end portion disposed at a second end of the substrate which is opposite the first end, the second end portion operable to attach and seal to a coolant output header of the cooling system;

an outer peripheral surface extending between the first and second end portions, the outer peripheral surface comprising a plurality of planar facets that each coincide with a corresponding side of the polygon;

a substrate interior enclosed by the outer peripheral surface and the first and second end portions; and

one or more coolant flow channels passing through the substrate interior for carrying liquid coolant from the cooling system, wherein one or more of the coolant flow channels have an inlet opening at the first end portion of the substrate for receiving the liquid coolant from the cooling system and an outlet opening at the second end portion of the substrate for returning the liquid coolant to the cooling system;

a metal layer disposed directly on and continuously wrapped around at least two adjacent planar facets of the plurality of planar facets; and

one or more power electronic devices attached to the metal layer on each planar facet of the at least two planar facets.

14. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein the one or more coolant flow channels comprise a plurality of coolant flow channels disposed adjacent and spaced radially around the outer peripheral surface.

15. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein one or more of the coolant flow channels are helical.

16. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein the metal layer comprises a Direct Metallization (DM) layer.

17. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein the metal layer comprises a copper layer.

18. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein a first portion of the metal layer is disposed directly on a first facet of the at least two planar facets and is electrically connected to a second portion of the metal layer disposed directly on one or more adjacent facets of the at least two planar facets.

19. The power electronics module of claim 13 further comprising a first power connector tab connected to a first portion of the metal layer disposed directly on a first facet of the plurality of planar facets and a second power connector tab connected to a second portion of the metal layer disposed directly on another of the facets of the plurality of planar facets, wherein the first power connector tab is disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the second power connector tab.

20. The power electronics module of claim 13 wherein the first end portion of the power electronics assembly is operable to attach and seal to the second end portion of an adjacent power electronics module in a stacked configuration.