Power semiconductor module including substrates spaced from each other

• US 8,514,579 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Stolze, Thilo, Hohlfeld, Olaf, Kanschat, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Xiaoliang
• Application Number:
  US12/776,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20100284155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 361/728, 361/700, 361/707, 361/708, 361/717, 361/721, 361/737, 361/803, 257/678, 257/684, 257/691, 257/692, 257/700, 257/704, 257/718, 257/719, 257/724, 439/73
• US Class Current: 361/728
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2023/405 heatsink to package
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2023/4062 heatsink to or through board or cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2023/4081 Compliant clamping elements not primarily serving heat-conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/371 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 2224/37599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• 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 2224/84801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3121 a substrate forming part of the encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3735 Laminates or multilayers, e.g. direct bond copper ceramic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4006 with bolts or screws
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49811 Additional leads joined to the metallisation on the insulating substrate, e.g. pins, bumps, wires, flat leads H01L23/49827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/37 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/39 Structure, shape, material or disposition of the strap connectors after the connecting process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/40 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/84 using a strap connector
• 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 2924/00012 : 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 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 : off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 : Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/209 : Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20909 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a power semiconductor module including a module underside, a module housing, and at least two substrates spaced from each other. Each substrate has a topside facing an interior of the module housing and an underside facing away from the interior of the module housing. The underside of each substrate includes at least one portion simultaneously forming a portion of the module underside. At least one mounting means disposed between two adjacent substrates enables the power semiconductor module to be secured to a heatsink.

Claims

1. A power semiconductor module comprising:

a module underside;

a module housing;

at least two substrates spaced from each other, each substrate comprising a topside facing an interior of the module housing and an underside facing away from the interior of the module housing, and each substrate comprising a topside metallization at its topside;

wherein

the underside of each substrate comprises at least one portion simultaneously forming a portion of the module underside; and

at least one mounting means disposed between two adjacent substrates enables the power semiconductor module to be secured to a heatsink.

2. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting means is configured as a mounting hole extending in a direction perpendicular to the module underside through the power semiconductor module.

3. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting means is arranged fully between the two adjacent substrates.

4. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting means is arranged in the middle between two outer edges facing each other of the two adjacent substrates.

5. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the topside metallizations of at least two substrates are electrically conductively connected by means of a bonding element.

6. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 5, wherein the bonding element is configured as a bond wire or as a clip.

7. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein each substrate comprises at its underside an underside metallization.

8. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one, several or every substrate is configured as a metallized ceramic platelet.

9. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein none of the substrates comprises a through-hole between the topside and underside.

10. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the module housing comprises at the underside recesses into which the substrates are inserted.

11. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least two adjacent substrates are spaced from each other by means of a flange disposed in-between the at least two adjacent substrates.

12. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, comprising a number of terminals bonded electrically in the interior of the module housing to at least one substrate and brought out from the topside of the module housing.

13. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 1, wherein arranged on each substrate is at least one power semiconductor chip.

14. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, wherein on each substrate at least one of the following components is arranged:

an IGBT, a backwards conducting IGBT, a MOSFET, a J-FET, a thyristor, and a diode.

15. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, wherein arranged on each substrate are at least one controllable power semiconductor switch and a free-wheeling diode.

16. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, comprising at least two half-bridge branches each comprising a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch having load circuits connected in series, each half-bridge branch being arranged on another of the substrates.

17. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, comprising at least two half-bridge branches each comprising a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch having load circuits connected in series, all of the controllable high-side power semiconductor switches being arranged on a first one of the substrates and all of the controllable low-side power semiconductor switches being arranged on a second one of the substrates.

18. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, comprising a first half-bridge branch, a second half-bridge branch and a third half-bridge branch, each of which comprises a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch having load circuits connected in series, wherein

the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch of the first half-bridge branch and the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the first half-bridge branch and of the second half-bridge branch together with a high-side diode connected in series including a load circuit of the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the second half-bridge branch are arranged on a first one of the substrates;

and

the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the third half-bridge branch and the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch of the second half-bridge branch and of the third half-bridge branch together with a low-side diode connected in series including a load circuit of the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch of the second half-bridge branch are arranged on a second one of the substrates.

19. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 18, comprising, for each controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and for each controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the at least one power semiconductor chip, a free-wheeling diode arranged together with the corresponding controllable high-side or low-side power semiconductor switch on the same substrate and circuited antiparallel to the load circuit of the corresponding controllable high-side or low-side power semiconductor switch.

20. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, comprising a first half-bridge branch comprising a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch, wherein:

the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch of the first half-bridge branch comprises at least two controllable high-side single power semiconductor switches having load circuits connected in parallel;

the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the first half-bridge branch comprises at least two controllable low-side single power semiconductor switches having load circuits connected in parallel;

at least one of the controllable high-side single power semiconductor switches is arranged on a first one of the substrates;

at least one of the controllable high-side single power semiconductor switches is arranged on a second one of the substrates;

at least one of the controllable low-side single power semiconductor switches is arranged on the first one of the substrates;

at least one of the controllable low-side single power semiconductor switches is arranged on the second one of the substrates.

21. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 20, comprising a second half-bridge branch and a third half-bridge branch each comprising a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch having load circuits connected in series, wherein:

the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the second half-bridge branch are arranged on the first one of the substrates; and

the controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and the controllable low-side power semiconductor switch of the third half-bridge branch are arranged on the second one of the substrates.

22. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 21, comprising for each controllable high-side single power semiconductor switch and for each controllable low-side single power semiconductor switch a free-wheeling diode each of which is circuited antiparallel to the load circuit of the corresponding controllable high-side or low-side single power semiconductor switch.

23. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 17, comprising:

a bridge rectifier circuit for rectifying a multiphase alternating current including a number of N≧

2 phases, the bridge rectifier circuit comprising for each of the N phases two rectifier diodes circuited to form a series circuit, the resulting N series circuits being connected in parallel;

a further diode as well as a further controllable power semiconductor switch the load circuit of which is connected in series to the further diode;

wherein the rectifier diodes of the bridge rectifier circuit, the further diode and the further controllable power semiconductor switch are arranged on a third one of the substrates.

24. The power semiconductor module as set forth in claim 13, comprising:

at least three half-bridge branches each comprising a controllable high-side power semiconductor switch and a controllable low-side power semiconductor switch having load circuits connected in series, each half-bridge branch being arranged on a first one of the substrates;

a bridge rectifier circuit for rectifying a multiphase alternating current including a number of N≧

2 phases, the bridge rectifier circuit comprising for each of the N phases two rectifier diodes circuited to form a series circuit, the resulting N series circuits being connected in parallel;

a further diode as well as a further controllable power semiconductor switch the load circuit of which is connected in series to the further diode;

wherein the rectifier diodes of the bridge rectifier circuit, the further diode and the further power semiconductor switch are arranged on a second one of the substrates.