Power inverter

• US 8,072,760 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsuo, Takeshi, Hamada, Haruki, Nishihara, Atsuo, Musou, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US12/759,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 361/707
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

Water paths for feeding a coolant water through a power converter mounted on an automobile are arranged in parallel, openings are formed on the water paths respectively, heat radiating fins project from the openings, and the openings are closed by a base plate of the power module. Further, the base plate of the power module includes a metal in addition to copper to increase a hardness of the base plate, so that a deterioration of the flatness during fixing the fins with brazing is restrained.

Claims

1. A power convertor comprising:

a cooling path forming body forming a path for refrigerant, and

a power module fixed to the cooling path forming body and including a plurality of power semiconductor chips for converting a direct electric current to an alternating electric current,

wherein the power module further includes a base plate, a heat radiating element fixed to a surface of the base plate through a brazing material, and an insulating substrate, a surface of which is fixed to another surface of the base plate through a solder layer, and

the base plate is made of copper alloy including a material whose hardness is higher than a hardness of copper, has a hardness not less than HV50, and has a thermal conductivity not less than 200 W/mK,

wherein the cooling path forming body includes an opening communicating with the path, the heat radiating element projects from the opening into the path, the power module is fixed to the cooling path forming body in such a manner that the opening is closed by the base plate,

wherein each of the power semiconductor chips is fixed to another surface of the insulating substrate through a second solder layer, and

a melting point of the second solder layer is lower than a brazing temperature of the brazing material through which the heat radiating element is fixed to the surface of the base plate, and higher than a melting point of the solder layer.

2. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein a part of the base plate facing to the insulating substrate has a flatness not more than 0.2 mm.

3. The power convertor according to claim 2, wherein another part of the base plate facing to the power semiconductor chip has a flatness not more than 0.4 mm.

4. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating element includes a heat radiating fin of wave shape.

5. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating element includes a heat radiating fin of pin shape.

6. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating element includes first, second and third heat radiating parts,

the base plate has a first base area onto which the first radiating part is fixed, a second base area onto which the second radiating part is fixed, and a third base area onto which the third radiating part is fixed,

the insulating substrate includes a first insulating area on which a switching element for outputting U-phase component of the alternating current, a second insulating area on which a switching element for outputting V-phase component of the alternating current, and a third insulating area on which a switching element for outputting W-phase component of the alternating current,

the first insulating area faces to the first base area through the solder layer, the base plate and the brazing material,

the second insulating area faces to the second base area through the solder layer, the base plate and the brazing material, and

the third insulating area faces to the third base area through the solder layer, the base plate and the brazing material.

7. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the base plate is 2-4 mm.

8. The power convertor according to claim 1, wherein the base plate is plated with nickel of thickness of about 3-9 μ

m.