Semiconductor module

• US 8,755,185 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Chou, Chung-chih, Fukami, Takeshi, Oda, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US13/515,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20120250253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06181 On opposite sides of the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/33181 On opposite sides of the body
• 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 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• 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 24/33 of a plurality of layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/071 the devices being arranged next and on each other, i.e. mixed assemblies
• 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 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 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

A semiconductor module includes an upper arm and a lower arm of an inverter circuit. The upper arm has a switching element and a rectifying device and the lower arm has a switching element and a rectifying device. The upper arm and the lower arm are laminated such that the switching elements overlap each other and the rectifying devices overlap each other. Refrigerant flow paths constituting cooling sections respectively extend along both sides in the lamination direction of the switching elements and the rectifying devices and are folded back at the rectifying device lamination section side.

Claims

1. A semiconductor module provided with an upper arm and a lower arm, each of the arms having a switching element and a rectifying device, the module comprising:

a switching element lamination section in which the switching elements of the upper arm and the lower arm overlap each other;

a rectifying device lamination section in which the rectifying devices of the upper arm and the lower arm overlap each other; and

cooling sections provided at least on both sides in the lamination direction of the switching elements and the lamination direction of the rectifying devices and that cool the switching element lamination section and the rectifying device lamination section,

wherein each of the cooling sections has a refrigerant and a refrigerant flow path for circulating the refrigerant, and

the refrigerant flow paths are respectively provided on both sides in the lamination direction of the switching elements and the lamination direction of the rectifying devices and folded back at the rectifying device lamination section side.

2. The semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein a space that is a portion of the refrigerant flow path is formed within each of the cooling sections and at a position directly below the switching element or the rectifying device.