Power module comprising at least one semiconductor module and method for manufacturing a power module

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a power module (101) comprising at least one semiconductor module (104) having a metal substrate (108) with an integrated cooling structure. The power module (101) further comprises: a first housing component (121) made of a plastic material and molded around at least a portion of the metal substrate (108) to establish a form-fitting connection with the at least one semiconductor module (104); a second housing component (122) made of a plastic material and connected to the first housing component (121) to form a cavity for a coolant (116) so as to cool the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module (104). The present disclosure further relates to a method for manufacturing a power module (101).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power module, which comprises at least one semiconductor module, a first housing component made of a plastic material, and a second housing component made of a plastic material. The present disclosure also relates to a method for manufacturing a power module. Background Art

[0002] Document US 9613885 B2 relates to a cooling device comprising a plurality of discrete modules and a plastic housing. Each module comprises a semiconductor die encapsulated by a molding compound, a plurality of leads electrically connected to the semiconductor die and protruding from the molding compound, and a first cooling plate at least partially not covered by the molding compound. The plastic housing surrounds the periphery of each module to form a multi-die module.

[0003] Document US2011 / 0316143 A1 relates to a semiconductor module including a semiconductor unit made of a resin mold. The resin mold has formed therein a cooling path through which a coolant flows to cool a semiconductor chip embedded in the resin mold.

[0004] Document US2010 / 0232112 Al discloses a semiconductor module, which includes: a substrate, a surface of which forms a fin area, and cooling fins are arranged in the fin area; a substrate, which is arranged on another surface of the substrate and is provided with a switching device; and a shell component, the shell component has an internal space, and an opening is formed in a wall of the shell component so that the opening is smaller than a surface of the substrate and larger than the fin area.

[0005] Document EP 1843392 A1 provides an electronic assembly having a housing including a wall defining a fluid container. One or more heat-conducting heat sink devices extend through one or more openings in the housing and are in thermal communication with a liquid coolant. One or more electronic devices are mounted on a mounting surface of the heat sink device so that the electronic devices are cooled by the liquid coolant in the fluid container.

[0006] There is a need for an improved cooling assembly for a semiconductor module that is easy to manufacture and assemble, is lightweight, and allows for effective cooling of the power semiconductor die. Summary of the invention

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a power module is provided, which includes at least one semiconductor module having a metal substrate with an integrated cooling structure. The power module also includes a first housing component and a second housing component, the first housing component is made of a plastic material and is molded around at least a portion of the metal substrate to establish a shape-fitting connection with the at least one semiconductor module, and the second housing component is made of a plastic material and is connected to the first housing component to form a cavity for a coolant so as to cool the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module. In the above-mentioned power module, no additional components are required to attach at least one semiconductor module to the coolant housing and guide the coolant to flow around the integrated cooling structure. This makes the manufacturing process simpler and the number of parts is reduced. In addition, the use of plastic materials also results in a particularly light weight of the assembly.

[0008] According to at least one embodiment, the first housing component and / or the second housing component is made of a fiber reinforced polymer material. Fiber reinforced polymer materials combine light weight with high strength and are suitable for many application areas, including water and / or glycol based coolants.

[0009] According to at least one embodiment, the first housing component and the second housing component are connected by at least one of a plastic welded joint, an adhesive bonded joint, or a heated material fused joint. Such a joint is easy to manufacture and prevents coolant from leaking from the cooling assembly. At the same time, manufacturing the cooling assembly from two different housing components allows providing a relatively complex housing structure.

[0010] According to at least one embodiment, the first housing component and / or the second housing component comprises at least one of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), which is reinforced with glass fiber. The above materials are flame retardant, can withstand temperatures up to 200° C. and 140° C. respectively, and are compatible with common coolants such as ethylene glycol.

[0011] According to at least one embodiment, the first shell component and / or the second shell component is a laminated carbon composite component. For example, the first shell component and / or the second shell component may include pre-impregnated composite fibers. Such materials are high in strength, light in weight, and can be manufactured using novel processing techniques such as out-of-vessel composite manufacturing techniques.

[0012] According to at least one embodiment, at least one semiconductor module includes at least one power semiconductor die encapsulated by a mold body. This allows conventional semiconductor modules to be integrated into the disclosed power module.

[0013] According to at least one embodiment, at least one semiconductor module includes at least one power semiconductor die and a plurality of leads connected to the at least one power semiconductor die, wherein the plurality of leads are at least partially embedded in a plastic material of a first housing component. Embedding the leads of the at least one power semiconductor die in the first housing component helps to stabilize the leads and at the same time insulate the leads from each other.

[0014] According to at least one embodiment, the power module further comprises at least one crimp terminal, wherein the first housing component comprises a support structure configured to support the at least one crimp terminal. Such a structure helps to absorb relatively large forces when crimping the module to a printed circuit board or similar carrier substrate.

[0015] According to at least one embodiment, the form-fit connection forms a seal for the coolant between the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module and the first housing component. In this case, no additional gasket is required to seal the coolant cavity, thereby further reducing the number of components of the power module.

[0016] According to a second aspect, a method for manufacturing a power module is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps:

[0017] - placing at least one semiconductor module having a metal base plate with an integrated cooling structure in a first mold;

[0018] - moulding the first housing component from a plastic material using a first mould, thereby establishing a form-fitting connection between at least a portion of the metal base plate and the plastic material of the first housing component;

[0019] - moulding the second housing part from a plastics material; and

[0020] The first housing part and the second housing part are joined by a plastic joining method to form a cavity for a coolant in order to cool the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module.

[0021] The above steps enable the manufacture of a light-weight power module using a metal insert molding process.

[0022] According to at least one embodiment, at least one semiconductor module includes at least one power semiconductor die which is embedded in a mold body before the at least one semiconductor module is placed in a first mold. This enables easy integration of independently manufactured semiconductor modules into a power module.

[0023] According to at least one alternative embodiment, at least one semiconductor module comprises at least one power semiconductor die which is embedded directly into the plastic material of the first housing part during molding of the first housing part.This approach further reduces the number of processing steps required to manufacture the power module.

[0024] As described above, the present disclosure includes several aspects and embodiments thereof. Each feature described with respect to one aspect and embodiments thereof among several aspects is also disclosed in this document with respect to other aspects, even if the corresponding feature is not explicitly mentioned in the context of a particular aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] To provide further understanding, the accompanying drawings are included. In the accompanying drawings, elements of the same structure and / or function may be represented by the same reference numerals. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0026] Figure 1 A first cross section of a conventional power module is schematically shown.

[0027] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 Second cross section of a power module.

[0028] Figure 3 A first cross section of a power module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0029] Figure 4 Schematically shows Figure 3 Second cross section of a power module.

[0030] Figure 5 A cross section of a power module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0031] Figure 6 A cross section of a power module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0032] Figure 7 A method for producing a power module is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Although the present invention may have various modifications and alternative forms, its specific details have been illustrated in the appended drawings and will be described in detail. However, it should be understood that the intention of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention of the present invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and substitutes within the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

[0034] To help understand the content of this disclosure, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a conventional power module 1 having an aluminum alloy cooling element assembly is first described.

[0035] Figure 1A first section through a power module 1 is schematically shown, in which the coolant flows in or out. Figure 1 The plane shown. Figure 2 A second vertical section through the same power module 1 is shown, wherein the coolant flows from the first port 2 shown on the left hand side to Figure 2 The second port 3 is shown on the right hand side.

[0036] The power module 1 comprises two semiconductor modules 4 attached to a cooling assembly 5. As can be seen in Figure 2 As seen in FIG. 8 , the semiconductor modules 4 are attached to the cooling assembly 5 by means of clamps 6 and corresponding screws 7 , which clamp a base plate 8 of each semiconductor module 4 to a top surface 9 of the cooling assembly 5 .

[0037] The base plate 8 is made of a metal material and is embedded in a molded body 10. The molded body 10 also embeds a substrate 11 on which an actual semiconductor die 12 forming a power component of the power module 1 is formed. Several conductive leads 13 are attached to the back side of the substrate 11. The leads 13 extend to terminals 14 outside the molded body 10.

[0038] The cooling assembly 5 is made of a hollow aluminum alloy body member 15, which is used to guide a coolant 16, such as an ethylene glycol-water mixture, from the first port 2 to the second port 3, or vice versa. On its way from the first port 2 to the second port 3, the liquid coolant 16 passes through an array of pin fins 17. The pin fins 17 extend from the base plate 8 and protrude through corresponding openings 18 in the aluminum alloy body member 15 into the flow of the coolant 16, and thus significantly increase the surface area of ​​the base plate 8 exposed to the coolant 16. In operation, the heat dissipated by the semiconductor die 12 is conducted to the coolant 16 via the base plate 8 and the array of pin fins 17, thereby significantly improving the heat flow away from the semiconductor die 12 compared to semiconductor power modules without integrated cooling structures.

[0039] In automotive applications, the first port 2 and the second port 3 of the cooling assembly 5 can be connected to the vehicle's general cooling system. To maintain a liquid seal between the semiconductor module 4 and the cooling assembly 5 , an O-ring gasket 19 is placed in a corresponding groove 20 around the opening 18 of the cooling assembly 5 .

[0040] The above-mentioned power module 1 and cooling assembly 5 work reliably in different application scenarios. However, the cooling assembly 5 formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy increases the weight of the entire power module 1. Moreover, assembling such a multi-component, partially metal power module 1 results in relatively high production costs and a high number of components. Therefore, there is a need to further reduce the weight and number of components of such power modules.

[0041] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A cross section of a power module 101 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The cross sections shown correspond to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cross section of the power module 1 is shown. For the convenience of explanation, corresponding reference numerals are used to explain Figure 3 and Figure 4 The embodiment shown.

[0042] The power module 101 according to the described disclosure includes two semiconductor modules 104 and a universal cooling assembly 105. Of course, the power module may also include additional semiconductor modules 104 or only one semiconductor module 104. For example, the power module 101 may be part of a liquid-cooled inverter. As previously described, each semiconductor module 104 includes a molded body 110, and a substrate 111 loaded with one or more semiconductor dies 112 is embedded in the molded body 110. For example, the semiconductor die 112 may be a MOSFET, an IGBT, or a diode of an inverter power switch stage. The semiconductor die 112 and / or the substrate 111 may be contacted by means of leads 113 and terminals 14. The molded body 110 also partially encapsulates a metal substrate 108 that is thermally connected to the semiconductor die 112. The metal substrate 108 has an integrated cooling structure in the form of a plurality of pin-shaped fins 117, which extend from the metal substrate 108 located on the opposite side of the semiconductor die 112.

[0043] and Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cooling assembly 5 shown is different. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The cooling assembly 105 shown is made of a plastic material. For example, a polymer material such as a glass fiber reinforced polymer or a carbon fiber reinforced polymer can be used. To form the cooling assembly 105, two separate housing components, namely, a first housing component 121 and a second housing component 122 are joined together by a waterproof joint 123. In the described embodiment, the first housing component 121 and the second housing component 122 are formed by molding and contain a cavity through which the coolant 116 can flow from the first port 102 to the second port 103 and vice versa. The first housing component 121 and the second housing component 122 together form a plastic body component 115.

[0044] and Figure 1 and Figure 2Unlike the assembly shown, the two semiconductor modules 104 and the common cooling assembly 105 are completely integrated together by partially embedding the two semiconductor modules 104 in the plastic material of the first housing part 121. This is achieved by metal insert molding, which firmly integrates the metal base plate 108 into the first housing part 121 of the cooling assembly 105.

[0045] For example, the semiconductor module 104 including the metal substrate 108 is placed in a mold for molding the first housing component 121. Then, a plastic material is injected into the mold to mold the first housing component 121 with a portion of the metal substrate 108 embedded in the plastic material. Therefore, no additional components or steps are required to fasten the semiconductor module 104 to the cooling assembly 105. The shape of the mold for molding is designed so that the pin-shaped fins 117 protrude through the corresponding openings 118 of the first housing component 121. As shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the pin fins 117 protrude into the cavity of the coolant 116 .

[0046] Glass fiber reinforced polymer can be manufactured by standard injection molding process. The fibers are usually short and not oriented in a specific direction. Many different materials are commercially available, such as Solvay Ryton or Covestro Bayblend. This cooling component 105 and the corresponding power module 101 have several advantageous properties. For example, the use of reinforced polymer materials results in a relatively low weight and cost of the cooling component 105. At the same time, a variety of thermoplastic polymer materials, such as Solvay Ryton including PPS or Covestro Bayblend including a mixture of PC and ABS, have passed the UL94V-0 flammability requirements, and the heat-resistant temperatures are up to 200°C and 140°C, respectively, which meet the requirements of the automotive power module field, for example. In addition, Ryton is also specifically noted to be compatible with ethylene glycol, that is, the antifreeze component used in the cooling system of various water-based coolers. In addition, polymer injection molding technology is more flexible than traditional metal machining or die-casting technology, thus allowing the production of plastic body parts 115 with more complex details.

[0047] Alternatively, as an alternative to using injection molded plastic parts, pre-impregnated composite fibers, such as carbon fibers, can also be used to form the first shell component 121 and / or the second shell component 122. Carbon fiber reinforced polymers are generally more expensive to manufacture and are known to be used in aerospace or sports equipment where a high strength-to-weight ratio is critical. Their fibers are long, woven, and / or oriented in a specific direction. The fibers are made of synthetic polymers, such as polyacrylonitrile or rayon. For some applications, sheets of epoxy resin pre-impregnated in the fibers are also called "prepregs." Such high-performance components can be manufactured in an autoclave with a heated pressure chamber. Recently, molding techniques that do not use autoclaves can also be used to manufacture carbon fiber layered sheet components, i.e., "out-off-autoclave" manufacturing. Out-of-autoclave composite manufacturing based on resin transfer molding or balanced pressure fluid molding enables large-scale production at a relatively low cost.

[0048] The waterproof joint 123 between the first housing component 121 and the second housing component 122 can be formed, for example, using ultrasonic or laser-based plastic welding, suitable adhesive bonding, or heated material melting, and reduces the need for a separate seal between the two housing components.

[0049] As previously described, the array of pin fins 117 formed on the lower surface of the metal substrate 108 protrude through the openings 118 of the cooling assembly 105. In the depicted embodiment, two openings 118 corresponding to two semiconductor modules 104 are formed in the first housing member 121.

[0050] and Figure 1 and Figure 2 Unlike the embodiment shown in , the attachment and sealing of the semiconductor module 104 to the top surface 109 of the cooling assembly 105 is directly achieved during the molding of the first housing component 121. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment does not require separate attachment or sealing components such as screws and clamps, or O-rings or other forms of gaskets.In the described embodiment, the surface tension on the areas to be bonded may be greater than 45 mN / m, and their surface roughness Ra may be between 4 μm and 6 μm.

[0051] Figure 5 A cross section of a power module 101 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 5 The second embodiment shown will use corresponding reference numerals. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the description of corresponding parts will not be repeated here.

[0052] exist Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, the plastic material of the first housing component 121 extends vertically beyond the plane of the metal substrate 108. In particular, it also surrounds the left-hand side of the molded body 110, thereby forming a support structure 128 that partially embeds and supports one or more crimp terminals 129 arranged on the left-hand side.

[0053] First, the spacing of each lead 113 and terminal 114 can be strictly controlled to avoid any undesired electrical connection between adjacent electrical connections. This effect can be further improved if the portion of the lead 113 leading to the terminal 114 is completely embedded in the plastic material, resulting in a higher resistance between the leads 113 and thus reducing the creep current between the leads 113. Therefore, this embodiment enables the terminals 114 or crimping terminals 129 to be closely spaced without violating the required creepage distance, thereby improving electrical performance.

[0054] Second, the first housing component 121 can also serve as a mechanical support. Figure 5 As shown, this is particularly useful for mechanically supporting the crimp terminals 129 during insertion into corresponding openings of the printed circuit board 130 .

[0055] It should be noted that Figure 5 The embodiment shown uses different types of terminals at opposite ends of the semiconductor module 104. In particular, the crimp terminals 129 are used on the left hand side, while the terminals 114 on the right hand side are configured as flat metal terminals. Of course, all terminals 114 can also be configured as crimp terminals.

[0056] exist Figure 6 In another embodiment shown, the first housing component 121 embeds substantially all components of the semiconductor module 104. That is, the metal base plate 108, the semiconductor substrate 111, the semiconductor die 112, and the leads 113 are directly embedded in the plastic material of the first housing component 121. Therefore, there is no need to prepare a separate molding step for the molded body around the semiconductor die 112.

[0057] Figure 7 The method of manufacturing the power module 101 using steps S1 to S5 is shown in a schematic manner. Please note that steps S1 to S5 can be performed in a different order and / or in parallel. For example, the second housing component 122 can be formed before the first housing component 121.

[0058] In optional step S1 , the semiconductor module 104 is formed. Specifically, a substrate 111 carrying one or more semiconductor dies 112 may be attached to the metal base plate 108 .

[0059] Components of the substrate 111 or the semiconductor die 112 may be connected to electrical leads 113. These components may then be encapsulated by a separate molded body 110, thereby achieving electrical isolation and mechanical stability of the semiconductor module 104. However, as described above, the components of the semiconductor module 104 may also be embedded directly into the plastic material during step S3.

[0060] In step S2, at least one semiconductor module 104 with a metal substrate is placed in a first mold. Specifically, one or more semiconductor modules 104 prepared in step S1 can be placed in a mold for metal insert molding. This is also conducive to the precise relative alignment between the terminals 114 of multiple semiconductor modules 104 placed in the same molding mold. Therefore, because conventional molding tools are very accurate, it is conducive to tight positioning tolerances between different semiconductor modules 104, such as those required for the electrical connection of module terminals 114. Moreover, the semiconductor modules 104 will be aligned in the mold, thereby ensuring that the integrated cooling structure attached to the metal substrate 108 protrudes outside the volume to be filled with plastic material during the molding of step S3.

[0061] In step S3, a first housing component 121 is molded from a plastic material using a first mold. By injecting the plastic material into the first mold, a mechanically stable form-fit connection is formed between at least a portion of the metal substrate 108 and the plastic material of the first housing component 121. As a result, the semiconductor module 104 is firmly attached to the first housing component 121, thereby forming a leak-tight seal. It should be noted that the mold temperature during injection molding and similar molding is usually much lower than the operating temperature of the semiconductor module 104. Therefore, the risk of degradation of the bonding layer or molding compound adhesion within the semiconductor module 104 is low.

[0062] In step S4, the second housing component is formed using molding. The materials and techniques used in step S4 are similar to those used in step S3.

[0063] In step S5, the first housing member 121 and the second housing member 122 are joined by a suitable plastic joining method to form a liquid-tight cavity for the coolant 116. The first housing member 121 and the second housing member 122 are configured and aligned so that the integrated cooling structure of the metal substrate 108 protrudes into the cavity of the coolant 116. As described above, laser or ultrasonic welding may be used to form a watertight weld between the first housing member 121 and the second housing member 122. Alternatively, an adhesive may be used or an adhesive bonding joint or a heated material fusion joint may be formed by partially melting the material of at least one of the first housing member 121 and the second housing member 122.

[0064] Figures 1 to 7 The illustrated embodiments represent exemplary embodiments of improved cooling assemblies 105 and power modules 101 as described, and also detail the steps required to manufacture them. They do not constitute a complete list of all embodiments according to the present disclosure. Actual cooling assemblies and power modules and their manufacture may vary with respect to the embodiments shown in the above embodiments.

[0065] Reference numerals list

[0066] 1 Power Module

[0067] 2First Port

[0068] 3 Second Port

[0069] 4Semiconductor modules

[0070] 5 Cooling components

[0071] 6 Clamp

[0072] 7 Screws

[0073] 8 substrates

[0074] 9 (Top) Surface

[0075] 10 Molded body

[0076] 11 Substrate

[0077] 12 semiconductor die

[0078] 13 Leads

[0079] 14 terminals

[0080] 15Aluminum alloy main parts

[0081] 16 Coolant

[0082] 17 Needle fins

[0083] 18 Opening

[0084] 19O-ring gasket

[0085] 20 grooves

[0086] 101 Power Module

[0087] 102 First Port

[0088] 103 Second Port

[0089] 104 semiconductor modules

[0090] 105 Cooling assembly

[0091] 106 fixture

[0092] 107 screws

[0093] 108 metal substrate

[0094] 109 (top) surface

[0095] 110 Molded body

[0096] 111 substrate

[0097] 112 semiconductor die

[0098] 113 lead

[0099] 114 terminal

[0100] 115 Plastic main parts

[0101] 116 Coolant

[0102] 117 Needle Fins

[0103] 118 Opening

[0104] 121 first housing component

[0105] 122 second housing component

[0106] 123 connector

[0107] 128 Support structure

[0108] 129 crimp terminal

[0109] 130 printed circuit board

Claims

1. A power module (101), comprising: - at least one semiconductor module (104) having a metal base plate (108) with an integrated cooling structure; a first housing component (121) made of a plastic material and molded around at least a portion of the metal substrate (108) to establish a form-fitting connection with the at least one semiconductor module (104); as well as A second housing part (122) made of plastic material and connected to the first housing part (121) to form a cavity for a coolant (116) in order to cool the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module (104).

2. The power module (101) according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the first shell component (121) and the second shell component (122) is made of a fiber-reinforced polymer material.

3. The power module (101) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first housing component (121) and the second housing component (122) are joined by at least one of a plastic welded joint, an adhesive bonded joint, and a heated material fused joint.

4. The power module (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: At least one of the first housing component (121) and the second housing component (122) includes at least one of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), which is reinforced with glass fiber.

5. The power module (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: At least one of the first housing component (121) and the second housing component (122) is a laminated carbon composite component.

6. The power module (101) according to claim 5, wherein: At least one of the first shell component (121) and the second shell component (122) includes pre-impregnated composite fibers.

7. The power module (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 2 and 6, wherein: The at least one semiconductor module (104) comprises at least one power semiconductor die (112) and a plurality of leads (113) connected to the at least one power semiconductor die (112), wherein the plurality of leads (113) are at least partially embedded in the plastic material of the first housing component (121).

8. The power module (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 2 and 6, further comprising at least one crimping terminal (129), wherein: The first housing component (121) includes a support structure (128) configured to support the at least one crimp terminal.

9. The power module (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 2 and 6, wherein: The form-fit connection forms a seal for the coolant (116) between the integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module (104) and the first housing part (121).

10. The power module (101) according to claim 9, wherein: At least one of the following exists: - the surface tension of the portion of the metal substrate (108) embedded in the plastic material of the first housing component (121) is greater than 45 mN / m; as well as The surface roughness of the portion of the metal substrate (108) embedded in the plastic material of the first housing component (121) is between 4 μm and 6 μm.

11. A method for manufacturing a power module (101), comprising: - placing at least one semiconductor module (104) having a metal base plate (108) with an integrated cooling structure in a first mold; - moulding a first housing component (121) from a plastic material using the first mould, thereby establishing a form-fitting connection between at least a portion of the metal substrate (108) and the plastic material of the first housing component (121); - moulding the second housing part (122) from a plastic material; as well as The first housing part (121) and the second housing part (122) are joined by a plastic joining method to form a cavity for a coolant (116) in order to cool an integrated cooling structure of the at least one semiconductor module (104).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The at least one semiconductor module (104) includes at least one power semiconductor die (112) which is embedded in a molded body (110) before the at least one semiconductor module (104) is placed in the first mold.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The at least one semiconductor module (104) comprises at least one power semiconductor die (112) which is embedded directly into the plastic material of the first housing component (121) during molding of the first housing component (121).

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The at least one semiconductor module (104) further comprises a plurality of leads (113) connected to the at least one power semiconductor die (112), the leads (113) being at least partially embedded in the plastic material during molding of the first housing component.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The plastic material of at least one of the first shell component (121) and the second shell component (122) is made of pre-impregnated composite fibers and formed by an autoclave process or an out-of-autoclave composite manufacturing process based on resin transfer molding or balanced pressure fluid molding.

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