A power module and a vertical power supply system

Abstract

This invention provides a power module and a vertical power supply system. The power module includes a large-area pinboard, a control module, multiple power blocks, multiple input capacitors, and multiple output capacitors. The controller is electrically connected to the pinboard via a first or third side. By placing the controller vertically, this invention maximizes the number of power blocks within the limited space of the power module, thereby improving the power density or conversion efficiency of the power module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vertical power supply technology, and in particular to a power supply module with flexible configuration and high current density. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of artificial intelligence, the power requirements of intelligent data processing chips, such as GPUs / CPUs / NPUs / TPUs (collectively referred to as XPUs), are becoming increasingly higher. In order to reduce losses on printed circuit boards (PCBs), vertical power delivery (VPD) structures have begun to be applied and will become the mainstream power supply method for XPUs.

[0003] The power block in a vertically powered VPD module, like a traditional VRM, is a buck converter (typically a buck circuit for 12V input, and more complex circuits for higher voltages, with a bridge circuit being the most common). It reduces the input voltage from high voltage to below 1V required by the XPU. Vertical power supplies typically deliver output currents of thousands of amperes; despite the high current density, the overall area is also large. Therefore, VPD modules present significant challenges due to their high current and large size.

[0004] However, existing vertical power supply structures have many problems. For example, existing integrated VPD structures include BGA (Ball Gate Alley) layers for soldering to the motherboard, output capacitor layers, magnetic component layers, and power semiconductor layers. These layers are stacked vertically, resulting in high integration and large size of the power supply module; moreover, its R&D costs are extremely high, the development cycle is long, and it is almost impossible to repair. Furthermore, due to the different power supply requirements and pin arrangements of different XPUs, VPD module specifications are not universal, keeping costs high. Moreover, the structural stress of large-size integrated units is complex, making it difficult to match with the stress of the XPU, posing challenges for customers and affecting system reliability.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a VPD module solution that offers high current density, ease of use for customers, and low cost.

[0006] Therefore, this application is submitted. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides a power module structure and a vertical power supply system. By placing the controller vertically, the limited space inside the VPD module is used to set up as many power blocks as possible, thereby improving the power density or conversion efficiency of the VPD module.

[0008] This application provides a power module, including a large-area pinboard, a control module, and multiple power blocks;

[0009] The large-area pinboard includes a first surface and a second surface, which are arranged opposite to each other and are used to receive and distribute current to the computing chip.

[0010] The power block is located on the first side of the large-area pin board, and the power block is used to convert the input voltage of the power block to a low voltage.

[0011] The control module includes at least one controller for controlling the power block;

[0012] The control module is in the shape of a cuboid and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, a third side surface, and a fourth side surface. The first side surface and the third side surface are arranged opposite each other, the second side surface and the fourth side surface are arranged opposite each other, and the area of ​​the top surface or the bottom surface is greater than the area of ​​any side surface.

[0013] The top or bottom surface of the control module is perpendicular to the first surface of the large-area pin board, and the control module is electrically connected to the large-area pin board.

[0014] Furthermore, the control module is located in the central area of ​​the large-area pinboard; the power blocks are distributed around the control module.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes an input capacitor, an output capacitor, and a first axis of symmetry, the first axis of symmetry being parallel to the top and / or bottom surface of the control module and passing through the centroid of the control module; the input capacitor and the output capacitor are disposed adjacent to the control module; the power blocks are symmetrically and evenly distributed on both sides of the first axis of symmetry.

[0016] Furthermore, the power block is symmetrically and evenly distributed around the control module with the centroid of the control module as the symmetrical point.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes input capacitors and output capacitors;

[0018] The first surface of the large-area pinboard is rectangular and includes four corner areas;

[0019] The input capacitor and / or output capacitor are located in one or more corner areas of a large-area lead plate.

[0020] Furthermore, the first surface of the large-area pinboard is a polygon; the polygon is a rectangle minus one or more corner areas.

[0021] Furthermore, this also includes output capacitors; at least half of the output capacitors have their projections onto the horizontal plane of the large-area lead plate falling within the area of ​​the large-area lead plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the power block, from top to bottom, includes an IPM or input capacitor, a magnetic component layer, and multiple output capacitors;

[0023] Furthermore, the output capacitor is first physically fixed to the bottom of the magnetic core, and then soldered to a large-area lead plate; the physical fixing method includes encapsulation, embedding, or pasting.

[0024] Furthermore, the IPM includes multiple power semiconductors disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the IPM; the power block includes, from top to bottom, the IPM, an input capacitor, a magnetic element layer, and multiple output capacitors.

[0025] Furthermore, the wafer of the power semiconductor is exposed on the upper surface of the IPM, or the electroplated copper of the power semiconductor is exposed on the upper surface of the IPM.

[0026] Furthermore, a ceramic plate is attached to the other surface of the power semiconductor.

[0027] Furthermore, the power block includes a multiplexer, and the magnetic elements between the multiplexers are either anti-coupled or TLVR coupled.

[0028] Furthermore, it also includes a groove, which is disposed on the first surface of the large-area pin board; the first side of the control module is provided with a protrusion; the controller is inserted into the groove through the protrusion to realize electrical connection with the large-area pin board.

[0029] Furthermore, this also includes IBCs and liquid cooling plates;

[0030] The IBC is used to convert the input voltage into the input voltage of the power block;

[0031] The power block and IBC are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the liquid cooling plate; the liquid cooling plate is used to dissipate the heat generated by the power block and IBC.

[0032] Furthermore, the heating elements in both the IBC and the power block are positioned adjacent to the liquid cooling plate.

[0033] Furthermore, it also includes an intermediate busbar; the intermediate busbar is electrically connected between the IBC and the large-area pinboard or electrically connected between the IBC and the power block.

[0034] Furthermore, the intermediate busbar is electrically connected to the large-area pinboard by crimping or welding.

[0035] Furthermore, the intermediate busbar is electrically connected to the power block by crimping or welding.

[0036] Furthermore, the input terminal of the power block is located at the top of the power block.

[0037] Furthermore, at least one side of the power block adjacent to the control module is provided with a shielding surface; the shielding surface is used to shield the electromagnetic interference of the magnetic components.

[0038] Furthermore, the shielding surface is a large-area copper sheet for DC power transmission, or a PCB board for signal transmission.

[0039] Furthermore, the control module also includes a controller substrate, peripheral capacitors, and peripheral resistors; the controller is a controller chip, which is arranged parallel to the controller substrate.

[0040] Furthermore, the controller chip is located away from the side of the large-area pinboard and is at least 3 mm higher than the first surface of the large-area pinboard.

[0041] Furthermore, the controller chip is directly bonded to the controller substrate, and the controller chip electrodes are guided to the controller substrate through a wire bonding process, and then the entire control module is encapsulated.

[0042] Furthermore, the control module also includes a shielding layer; the shielding layer is disposed on the top or bottom surface of the controller and is used to shield the electromagnetic interference of the magnetic components.

[0043] Furthermore, the power block includes at least two positive output terminals Vout and at least two negative output terminals GND;

[0044] The positive output terminal Vout and the negative output terminal GND are evenly distributed within at least two-thirds of the outline of the power block's projection surface on the large-area pinboard.

[0045] Furthermore, the two negative output terminals GND are located near two opposite sides of the power block; the positive output terminals Vout are located at relatively equal midpoints.

[0046] Furthermore, the negative output terminal GND and the positive output terminal Vout are arranged in a relatively balanced and staggered manner.

[0047] Furthermore, each of the power blocks includes at least four power units;

[0048] The positive output terminal Vout of each power unit is connected in parallel on a large-area pinout board;

[0049] The blank area between the positive output terminal Vout and the negative output terminal GND pin is used to set the output capacitor.

[0050] Furthermore, the at least four power units operate at the same frequency and are balanced out of phase, with a total phase of 360 degrees.

[0051] Furthermore, the magnetic element includes an inductor winding; the inductor winding extends from the top to the bottom of the magnetic element in a single-turn, straight manner.

[0052] Furthermore, multiple test points are provided on the first or third side of the control module; the test points are arranged in an array.

[0053] Furthermore, the input power electrodes Vin and GND of the input terminal are disposed on the top electroplated layer of the power block.

[0054] On the other hand, this application also provides a vertical power supply system, including a computing chip, a system PCB board and the aforementioned power module;

[0055] The computing chip and power module are respectively located on both sides of the system PCB board;

[0056] The computing chip, system PCB board, and power module are electrically connected.

[0057] Furthermore, the large-area pinboard is integrated on the surface of the system board.

[0058] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0059] 1) This application places the controller vertically and sets up as many power blocks as possible in the limited space of the power module to improve the power density or conversion efficiency of the power module.

[0060] 2) This application sets the test points on the first or third side of the controller to facilitate testing by testers.

[0061] 3) This application first fixes the capacitor under the magnetic component layer and then solders it onto a large-area lead plate, which greatly reduces the possibility of tombstoning, drift or even cold solder joints.

[0062] 4) This application integrates most of the input capacitors, magnetic components and output capacitors into the IPM, reducing the space occupied at the bottom of the powerblock.

[0063] 5) This application places the IPM on top of the power block to facilitate heat dissipation.

[0064] 6) This application uses SMD Socket to electrically connect the controller and the large-area pin board, making the power module flexible to adapt to different scenarios.

[0065] 7) The power block uses a multi-channel converter, and the magnetic components between the multi-channel converters are anti-coupled or TLVR coupled, so that the dynamic inductance is much smaller than the steady-state inductance, reducing the need for capacitors.

[0066] 8) This application places the input power electrodes Vin and GND on the top electroplating layer of the power block, which greatly reduces the pin resource occupation at the bottom of the module and the surface resource occupation and pin occupation of the large-area pin board, and further improves the power density of the power module.

[0067] 9) This application guides the TLVR to the top plated circuit layer of the module and interconnects it through crimping technology, reducing the resource occupation of a large-area pin board. Attached Figure Description

[0068] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0069] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of a prior art vertical power supply system; Figure 1(b) is a top view of the power supply module; Figure 1(c) is a cross-sectional view of the power supply module;

[0070] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of the vertical power supply system of this embodiment;

[0071] Figure 2(b) is a top view of the power supply module in this embodiment;

[0072] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a power supply module according to this embodiment;

[0073] Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another power supply module in this embodiment;

[0074] Figure 4(b) is a top view of another power supply module in this embodiment;

[0075] Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram of a capacitor distribution in a power supply module;

[0076] Figure 5(b) shows another capacitor distribution diagram in the power supply module.

[0077] Figure 6(a) is a schematic diagram of a two-stage power conversion module;

[0078] Figure 6(b) is a schematic diagram of another structure for the two-pole conversion of the power supply module;

[0079] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the shielding surface of the power module;

[0080] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the controller;

[0081] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the pin distribution on a large-area leadboard. Detailed Implementation

[0082] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0083] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of a prior art vertical power supply system; Figure 1(b) is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the power supply module 10; Figure 1(c) is a cross-sectional view of the power supply module 10. The structure of the prior art vertical power supply system is shown in Figure 1(a), with the computing power unit (XPU) 20 and the power supply module 10 respectively disposed on both sides of the system board 30. The power supply module 10 typically includes a large-area leadboard 1030, an output capacitor layer 1012, a magnetic component layer 1013, and a power semiconductor layer 1014. The large-area leadboard 1030 includes a first surface 1031 and a second surface 1032 facing each other. A BGA for soldering to the motherboard is disposed on the first surface 1031, and the output capacitor layer 1012 is disposed on the second surface 1032. The large-area pinout 1030, output capacitor layer 1012, magnetic component layer 1013, and power semiconductor layer 1014 are stacked vertically, integrating these devices into a single unit. Due to the high power density and the need for precise space utilization, the development cost of such a large-sized integrated circuit is extremely high, the development cycle is very long, and it is almost impossible to repair. Furthermore, because the power supply requirements of each XPU, and even the pin arrangement of the power module 10, differ, the specifications of the power module 10 supplying power to each XPU are different, making them non-interchangeable and resulting in persistently high development and manufacturing costs. Moreover, the complex structural stress of such a large integrated circuit makes matching with the stress of the XPU difficult, increasing the difficulty of use for customers and affecting the reliability of the vertical power supply system.

[0084] As shown in Figures 1(b) and 1(c), the prior art power module 10 includes multiple low-current power blocks 101, a large-area pinboard 1030, and a control module 102. The power blocks 101 here are standard components, allowing for shorter development cycles and more flexible configurations through optimization and reuse. However, the power blocks 101 are not specifically designed for the power module 10; therefore, the complex structure of the power module 10 affects reliability, and its low space utilization impacts performance.

[0085] As shown in Figure 1(b), the control module 102 includes multiple controllers 1021 (all in a cuboid shape), each controller 1021 being approximately cuboid in shape with a horizontal cross-section larger than its cross-sections in other directions. The controllers 1021 are positioned on the pinboard 1030 with a horizontal cross-section, meaning they contact the pinboard 1030 with the largest possible cross-section, which greatly wastes the surface space of the pinboard 1030.

[0086] In view of this, this embodiment provides a solution for a power module 10 with high current density, low cost and flexible configuration, and a corresponding vertical power supply system.

[0087] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of the vertical power supply system of this embodiment; Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the power module 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the power module 10 of this embodiment only includes a large-area pin board 1030 (referred to as the large board). The large-area pin board 1030 serves as the pin board of the power module 10 and is used to receive and distribute current to the computing chip 20.

[0088] The large-area pinboard 1030 includes a first surface 1031, a second surface 1032, and four side surfaces. The first surface 1031 and the second surface 1032 are opposite each other and both have a large area. The first surface 1031 has a BGA for soldering or pads for crimping. The BGA or pads are used to directly or indirectly transmit the large current output by the power module 10 to the computing power chip (Die of XPU).

[0089] The second surface 1032 has multiple power blocks 101 directly or indirectly disposed thereon. Each power block 101 can convert the input high voltage to a low voltage in an isolated or non-isolated manner. A power block 101 typically includes a power semiconductor 1014. Each power block 101 can receive control signals from one or more controllers integrated into the power module 10, enabling the power module to provide one or more outputs for steady-state and dynamic power supply according to system requirements. The projection of each power block 101 onto the horizontal plane of the large-area lead plate 1030 falls within the area of ​​the large-area lead plate 1030. Most (>50%, preferably >75%) of the high-frequency input capacitor Cin and most of the high-frequency output capacitor Cout that need to be integrated into the power module 10 fall within the area of ​​the large-area lead plate 1030. Magnetic components can be transformers or inductors, etc.

[0090] It should be noted that in certain special applications, when the power module 10 does not need to have a built-in output capacitor Cout, it can still be considered that most of the power module 10 has a built-in output capacitor Cout within the projection area; the output capacitor Cout is embedded in the pin board or set in the sandwich between two large boards, as long as it is within the projection of the power block 101.

[0091] In this embodiment, the controller 1021 is vertically mounted on a large-area pinboard 1030. Compared with the traditional method of laying it flat on the pinboard 1030, the height of the power module 10 can be fully utilized, so that the control circuit occupies as little area on the second side 1032 of the PCB as possible, and as much space as possible can be set up for as many power blocks 101 as possible, thereby improving the power density or conversion efficiency of the power module.

[0092] In this implementation, there is one and only one large-area pinboard 1030, so the power module 10 can provide as much height as possible to the power block 101.

[0093] In summary, the power block 101 in this embodiment achieves maximum area and maximum height, providing more optimization opportunities and enabling the power module 10 to achieve optimal performance. Thus, in this embodiment, both the power block 101 and the control module 102 in the power module 10 are customized for overall power optimization, not only making perfect use of the space within the power module 10 but also fulfilling the need for flexible configuration according to different XPU requirements.

[0094] In terms of performance: In applications where the total height of the power module 10 is 7mm, as shown in Figure 1(c), the height of the power block 101 must be less than 4mm to meet the requirements of a total height of 7mm in the prior art. However, in this embodiment, the height of the power block 101 is 5.5mm, which is 37.5% higher than in the prior art. Furthermore, in the prior art, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the power block 101 is 9×10mm². 2 In this embodiment, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the power block 101 is 11×11mm. 2 Compared to existing technologies, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​power block 101 increases by 34.4%, and the volume of power block 101 increases by 85%. Therefore, the power module 10 of this embodiment has an 85% higher power density than existing technologies, which can meet the needs of at least two more generations of computing chips (XPUs).

[0095] In terms of flexibility: the power block 101 in this embodiment has a higher power density, and the same number of power blocks 101 can be configured with more XPUs; the power module 10 in this embodiment only needs wiring and fabrication of different large-area pin boards 1030 to meet the needs of different XPUs, and the development cycle of the power module can be shortened from the traditional 1.5 years to 0.5 years, significantly reducing the development cycle and cost. Furthermore, due to the good versatility of the power block 101 in this embodiment, the cost of the power block 101 can be further reduced by producing large quantities.

[0096] Therefore, the power module 10 provided in this embodiment significantly improves upon several problems existing in the prior art, such as complex manufacturing, high cost, long manufacturing cycle, and poor performance.

[0097] Furthermore, this embodiment decouples the large-area pinboard 1030, power block 101, and control module 102, meaning each can be independently configured and optimized. This enhances the overall value of the power module while allowing for mutual promotion and iterative development. The control module 102 occupies a smaller area, providing more space for the power block 101 within the power module 10. Additionally, the thinner pinboard 1030 in this embodiment allows for a greater height for the power block 101. Moreover, the power block 101 can be continuously optimized in terms of frequency, dynamic performance, and power density, giving the power module 10 of this embodiment better product competitiveness.

[0098] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2(b), the internal layout of the power module 10 is very compact, which can lead to difficulties in debugging, maintenance, and even factory testing, affecting production efficiency and product quality. Figure 3 The power module 10 shown cleverly utilizes the height of the control module 102. The test point array 10213 is arranged on the top of the vertically placed controller 1021, which saves space and makes it convenient for operators to test the power module 10.

[0099] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2(a), the output capacitor Cout is located at the bottom of power block 101 and is soldered together with power block 101 onto the large-area pin board 1030. Therefore, the soldering quality of the output capacitor Cout is difficult to control and inspect. Since the entire power module 10 contains thousands of output capacitors Cout, if even one is poorly soldered (e.g., tombstoning, misalignment, or cold solder joint), the entire power module 10 will be defective, affecting the module's manufacturing yield. Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the output capacitor Cout is first fixed to the bottom of the magnetic component layer 1013 in the power block 101 by physical means (such as by molding, embedding, bonding, etc.), and the flatness of the pads of these capacitors and the other pads of the power block 101 is controlled to be within 100um. In this way, many output capacitors and the power block 101 can be combined into one component, and then soldered onto the large-area leadboard 1030, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of tombstoning, drift, or even cold solder joints.

[0100] Furthermore, traditional power modules 10 require a large number of input capacitors (Cin) at the bottom of the power block 101, which consume significant space in the module and large areas of the pinout board 1030. For example... Figure 3As shown, the structure of power block 101 in this embodiment, from top to bottom, consists of: IPM (Intelligent Power Module) 1011, most of the input capacitors Cin, magnetic component layer 1013, and output capacitor Cout. IPM 1011 includes integrated power semiconductors and their drivers; at least two semiconductor wafers are directly integrated into a single package, with a wafer thickness less than 0.4 mm, and the overall thickness of IPM 1011 is less than 1.0 mm. Most of the input capacitors Cin are input capacitors that account for more than 50% or even 75% of the built-in power supply. This structure reduces the number of input capacitors at the bottom of power block 101, freeing up sufficient space for output capacitors Cout, allowing more output capacitors Cout to be placed at the bottom of power block 101. It also frees up resources for the large-area pinboard 1030, reducing the number of layers in the large-area pinboard 1030, and further allowing power block 101 to be set at a higher height.

[0101] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, due to the increased power density of the power module 10 of the present invention, the heat density of the module also increases accordingly, thus requiring a better heat dissipation channel. In this embodiment, the power semiconductor is placed on top of the powerblock 101. For better heat dissipation, this embodiment also exposes the power semiconductor wafer directly, or exposes the electroplated copper of the power semiconductor wafer, or uses a thermally conductive material with a thermal conductivity higher than 10 K / m × W, or a heat dissipation ceramic plate is bonded to the power semiconductor.

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(a), the vertical controller 1021 is configured via an SMD Socket, that is, the controller 1021 is electrically connected to the large-area pinboard 1030 by inserting the protrusion 10211 and the groove 10212.

[0103] This implementation uses an SMD socket approach, requiring only the soldering of sockets for interconnecting the control modules. This reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the modules and provides the advantage of flexible configuration of the control module 102. Traditional power module 10 control upgrades can only be achieved through software upgrades, while this invention only requires replacing the control module hardware to achieve hardware upgrades. Furthermore, it allows for the mass production of only the power stage of the power module 10 to meet the needs of different controllers, enabling flexible selection for different applications by configuring different control modules. Moreover, the control module 102 can be independently programmed without requiring programming pins on the power module 10, reducing the wiring layer resources and pin resource usage of the large-area pinboard 1030.

[0104] Furthermore, due to the extremely high power density of the power module 10, even with the largest possible space allocated to the output capacitor Cout, the capacitance of the output capacitor is still insufficient. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4(b), the power block 101 in this embodiment employs a multi-channel converter (2 channels, 4 channels, or even more), and the magnetic components between the multi-channel converters are anti-coupled or TLVR coupled, thereby making the dynamic inductance much smaller than the steady-state inductance (here, "much smaller" can be defined as: less than 1 / 2), in order to reduce the module's requirement for the output capacitor Cout.

[0105] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), the present invention places the input power electrodes Vin and GND on the top electroplating layer of the power block 101, which greatly reduces the occupation of pin resources at the bottom of the power module 10 and the occupation of pin resources on the large-area pin board 1030, and further improves the power density of the power module 10.

[0106] Furthermore, when Vin is positioned on top of power block 101, the input voltage should be more than 20 times the output voltage, for example, the input is a 48V system voltage, in order to reduce the area requirement of the input pin.

[0107] Furthermore, since Vin is located at the top of power block 101, it is easier to achieve isolation between the input and output terminals. The input voltage can exceed 60V or even reach 400V and above, and isolation can be achieved using a safety-compliant isolation converter circuit.

[0108] Furthermore, when using TLVR, the TLVR windings of multiple magnetic components need to be connected in series. Traditional technology connects them at the bottom of the powerblock 101 via a large-area pinboard 1030, which not only occupies the surface resources of the pinboard 1030 but also increases the number of wiring layers and reduces the number of output capacitors (Cout). As shown in Figure 4(b), this embodiment guides the TLVR pins to the top plated circuit layer of the module and interconnects them using press-fit technology, reducing the occupation of the surface resources of the large-area pinboard 1030.

[0109] Furthermore, when the input power electrode is located on the top of the power block 101, it is difficult to simultaneously optimize power transfer and heat dissipation in such high power density scenarios. To address this, this embodiment places the power semiconductor on the side of the power block 101 and dissipates heat through immersion cooling. In this way, all surfaces of the power block 101 serve a function of heat transfer or power transfer, and each can be optimized individually.

[0110] Furthermore, the structure disclosed in this embodiment is more suitable for application scenarios where the number of power blocks 101 exceeds four. In order to make the control module close to each power block 101, the control module 102 is set in the central area of ​​the large-area pinboard 1030 of the power module 10. The contact surface between the control module 102 and the large-area pinboard 1030 is a long and narrow rectangle, and the control module 102 is vertically set on the second surface 1032 of the pinboard 1030, so as to occupy as little surface resources of the large-area pinboard 1030 as possible and facilitate layout.

[0111] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(a), all power blocks 101 are positioned on the left and right sides of the control module. Output capacitors Cout or input capacitors Cin can be placed above and / or below the control module 102; in particular, a mix of high-capacity capacitors and high-frequency capacitors (collectively referred to as C) can be used. H This is to achieve high-frequency impedance balance and space utilization balance of the output pins of power module 10.

[0112] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(b), power block 101 is arranged around control module 102. The top view of power module 10 is still a regular square. Therefore, at least one of the four corners of power module 10 can be equipped with output capacitor Cout or input capacitor Cin, and in particular, high-capacity capacitors and high-frequency capacitors can be mixed and matched.

[0113] Furthermore, referring again to Figure 2(b), the power block 101 is arranged around the control module 102. At least one of the four corners of the large-area pin board 1030 is cut off to leave space for the system board for customer convenience.

[0114] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the power module 10 has a two-stage conversion architecture. The first stage is an intermediate bus converter (IBC) 104, which accepts the input voltage and converts it into the voltage of the intermediate bus 106. The second stage is a power block 101, which converts the voltage of the intermediate bus 106 into the output voltage. In this embodiment, the IBC 104 is stacked on top of the power block 101.

[0115] As shown in Figure 6(a), the IBC 104 and power block 101 are respectively located on opposite sides of the liquid cooling plate 105. The heat-generating elements of the IBC 104 are concentrated below the IBC 104, and the heat-generating elements of the power block 101 are concentrated above the power block 101. The heat-generating elements of both share a single liquid cooling plate 105. That is, the stacked structure from top to bottom is: IBC 104, liquid cooling plate 105, and power block 101. The output of the IBC 104, i.e., the intermediate bus 106, is crimped or soldered to a large-area pinboard 1030 on which the power block 101 is mounted via connectors. In this way, high-density integration is achieved while convenient heat dissipation is also possible.

[0116] Figure 6(b) shows another implementation of the two-level architecture. The output of IBC 104, i.e., the intermediate bus 106, is crimped or soldered to the top of power block 101 via connectors. The input terminals in power block 101 are located at the top of power block 101. This not only reduces the resource occupation of the large-area pinboard 1030, but also shortens the power transmission path. In the implementations shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), a pinboard 103 is also included to carry more output capacitors Cout and to provide a fixed electrical connection with an external system board.

[0117] Furthermore, because the controller 1021 is installed vertically, the weak signal components and electrical circuits on the controller 1021 are relatively close to the built-in magnetic components of the power block 101, and the coupling area is relatively large, making them highly susceptible to electromagnetic interference, which affects the normal operation of the module and thus its reliability. To solve this problem, this invention proposes... Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, at least one side of the power block 101 is provided with a printed circuit board for signal transmission, or a large-area copper sheet for DC power transmission (the copper sheet can also be implemented on the printed circuit board), thereby forming a shielding surface 1015, which can shield electromagnetic interference from magnetic components. Preferably, the shielding surface 1015 is parallel to and faces the controller 1021.

[0118] Furthermore, such as Figure 8 As shown, the controller 1021 includes an upright substrate 10211, a controller chip 10212 disposed parallel to the substrate, and necessary peripheral capacitors and resistors. The controller chip 10212 is disposed on the side of the controller 1021 away from the pinboard, and the shortest distance Ht between the controller chip 10212 and the upper surface of the large-area pinboard 1030 is at least 3mm, thereby achieving the effect of upright placement.

[0119] Furthermore, the controller chip 10212 is directly bonded to the substrate 10211, and then the electrodes are guided to the substrate 10211 through a wire bonding process to meet the application of the limited height of the controller 1021. Then, the two opposite sides of the substrate 10211 and the device or one side and the device are encapsulated to form a plastic encapsulation layer 10213.

[0120] Furthermore, the controller chip 10212 is pre-packaged into a plastic package with a short side narrower than 5.5mm or even 5mm. This plastic package has a BGA array or LGA array to meet the application of the controller 1021 with limited height.

[0121] Furthermore, to make the configuration of power block 101 more flexible, shielding layer 10214 can be placed on top of controller 1021. Preferably, when using a pre-packaged controller chip, shielding layer 10214 is a metal cover; when using a fully encapsulated controller 1021, shielding can be achieved through a coating on the surface of the encapsulation.

[0122] Furthermore, such as Figure 9 As shown, since the power module 10 provided in this embodiment has a large current density, the current flowing through the output power pins Vout and GND of the power block 101 is very large. In order to shorten the distance from the output power pins to each solder ball on the large-area pinboard 1030 as much as possible, so as to reduce the number of wiring layers and the thickness of the large-area pinboard 1030, the electrodes of the output negative terminal GND and the output positive terminal Vout of each power block 101 are relatively evenly arranged within at least two-thirds of the contour of the bottom surface of the power block 101.

[0123] Furthermore, there are at least one pair of output negative terminals GND and output positive terminals Vout, with the two output negative terminals GND distributed near the two opposite sides of power block 101, and the output positive terminals Vout distributed at relatively equal midpoints.

[0124] Furthermore, the negative output terminals GND of two adjacent power blocks 101 are staggered by 90 degrees on opposite sides. This ensures that when multiple power blocks 101 are laid out, the negative output terminals GND and positive output terminals Vout under the overall outline are relatively evenly staggered. This allows most of the negative and positive output pins on the large-area pinboard 1030 to receive current with a distance shorter than two-thirds or even one-half of the width of the power block 101. The lateral current path is shorter, reducing the dependence on printed circuit board resources and making the large-area pinboard 1030 thinner.

[0125] Furthermore, each power block 101 integrates at least four power units, and the current output channels Vout of each power unit are connected in parallel on the large board. Moreover, each power unit is evenly distributed within the projected area of ​​the power block 101, and the blank area between each output positive terminal Vout and output negative terminal GND pin can be used to set the output capacitor Cout. Therefore, each output capacitor Cout is very close to both the output positive terminal Vout and the output negative terminal GND, reducing the need for lateral current transfer and lowering the thickness of the large-area pin 1030.

[0126] Furthermore, each power block 101 integrates at least four power units that operate at the same frequency and are balanced and phase-shifted. That is, if there are four power units, the phase difference between adjacent power units is 360 / 4 degrees = 90 degrees. The phase-shifting setting is used to cancel the output current ripple and reduce the requirement for the output capacitor Cout.

[0127] Going a step further, by integrating at least four balanced phase-shifting power units and employing anti-coupling or TLVR designs for the magnetic components, the requirement for the output capacitor Cout can be significantly reduced, or the current that can be supported by a unit output capacitor can be significantly increased.

[0128] Furthermore, since the power block 101 integrated in the power module 10 has a high current density, when the conversion circuit is a buck converter and the power block 101 structure is a power semiconductor placed on top of the inductor: to reduce inductor winding losses, the inductor winding is routed in a single turn and straight line from top to bottom of the inductor to achieve power transmission over the shortest distance; and the output capacitor Cout is located at the bottom of the inductor, between the output negative terminal GND and the output positive terminal Vout, and each is soldered onto the board, thereby reducing the thickness of the board. The module structure and technical features disclosed in this invention are not only applicable to VPD modules, but can also be applied to other power modules with high density requirements, similarly reducing the horizontal size of the power module and increasing its power density.

[0129] Furthermore, when the conversion circuit is a buck converter and the power block 101 structure has an inductor placed on top of the power semiconductor: the output capacitor Cout is embedded in a single printed circuit board or sandwiched between two printed circuit boards to achieve a large area placement of the output capacitor Cout.

[0130] Because the various embodiments of this invention are single or superimposed, extremely thin large boards can be used, with a thickness that, from an electrical perspective, can be less than 0.8 mm. This allows most of the space in the power module 10 to be used for the powerblock 101. However, such thin boards are prone to warping and deformation during manufacturing when the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the power module 10 is greater than 25 square centimeters, leading to difficulties for customers. Traditional power modules 10 can be flattened by using thick and wide steel bars, screws, etc., but this obviously violates the requirements of high power density and affects space utilization. This invention proposes a flattening method that has a small footprint and high rigidity. This fixing method makes full use of the narrow and high gap between the two modules, using a grid-like high-strength frame, which is fixed to the large board using high-temperature adhesive or ultrasonic welding, forcibly flattening the power module and keeping it flat during production and use. Furthermore, the frame can be removed after the customer completes the application welding, serving only as a production process fixture.

[0131] The terms "equal," "identical," or "equal to" disclosed in this invention must take into account the parameter distribution of the engineering process, with an error distribution within ±30%. "Parallel" two line segments or lines are defined as having an included angle of less than or equal to 45 degrees. "Perpendicular" two line segments or lines are defined as having an included angle within the range of [60, 120] degrees. The definition of "phase misalignment" also requires consideration of the parameter distribution of the engineering process, with an error distribution of the phase misalignment degree within ±30%. Furthermore, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further restrictions, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0132] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0133] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A power supply module, characterized in that, It includes a large-area pinboard, control module, and multiple power blocks; The large-area pinboard includes a first surface and a second surface, which are arranged opposite to each other and are used to receive and distribute current to the computing chip. The power block is located on the first side of the large-area pin board, and the power block is used to convert the input voltage of the power block to a low voltage. The control module includes at least one controller for controlling the power block; The control module is in the shape of a cuboid and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, a third side surface, and a fourth side surface. The first side surface and the third side surface are arranged opposite each other, the second side surface and the fourth side surface are arranged opposite each other, and the area of ​​the top surface or the bottom surface is greater than the area of ​​any side surface. The top or bottom surface of the control module is perpendicular to the first surface of the large-area pin board, and the control module is electrically connected to the large-area pin board.

2. The power module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is located in the central area of ​​the large-area pinboard; the power blocks are distributed around the control module.

3. The power module as described in claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes an input capacitor, an output capacitor, and a first axis of symmetry, which is parallel to the top and / or bottom surface of the control module and passes through the centroid of the control module; the input capacitor and the output capacitor are disposed adjacent to the control module; the power block is symmetrically and evenly distributed on both sides of the first axis of symmetry.

4. The power supply module as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The power block is symmetrically and evenly distributed around the control module with the centroid of the control module as the symmetrical point.

5. The power supply module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes input capacitors and output capacitors; The first surface of the large-area pinboard is rectangular and includes four corner areas; The input capacitor and / or output capacitor are located in one or more corner areas of a large-area lead plate.

6. The power module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first surface of the large-area pinboard is a polygon; the polygon is a rectangle minus one or more corner areas.

7. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes the output capacitor; At least half of the output capacitors are projected onto the area of ​​the large-area lead plate on the horizontal plane.

8. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The power block, from top to bottom, includes an IPM or input capacitor, a magnetic component layer, and multiple output capacitors.

9. The power supply module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The magnetic element layer includes a magnetic core; The output capacitor is first physically fixed to the bottom of the magnetic core, and then soldered to a large-area lead plate; the physical fixing method includes encapsulation, embedding, or pasting.

10. The power module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The IPM includes multiple power semiconductors disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the IPM; the powerblock, from top to bottom, includes the IPM, an input capacitor, a magnetic element layer, and multiple output capacitors.

11. The power module as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The wafer of the power semiconductor is exposed on the upper surface of the IPM, or the electroplated copper of the power semiconductor is exposed on the upper surface of the IPM.

12. The power module as described in claim 10, characterized in that, A ceramic plate is attached to the other surface of the power semiconductor.

13. The power supply module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The power block includes multiplexers, and the magnetic elements between the multiplexers are either anti-coupled or TLVR coupled.

14. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a groove, which is disposed on the first surface of the large-area pin board; the first side of the control module is provided with a protrusion; the controller is inserted into the groove through the protrusion to realize electrical connection with the large-area pin board.

15. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes IBC and liquid cooling plates; The IBC is used to convert the input voltage into the input voltage of the power block; The power block and IBC are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the liquid cooling plate; the liquid cooling plate is used to dissipate the heat generated by the power block and IBC.

16. The power module as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The heating elements in both the IBC and the power block are positioned near the liquid cooling plate.

17. The power supply module as described in claim 15, characterized in that, It also includes an intermediate busbar; the intermediate busbar is electrically connected between the IBC and the large-area pinboard or electrically connected between the IBC and the power block.

18. The power module as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The intermediate busbar is electrically connected to the large-area pinboard by crimping or welding.

19. The power module as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The intermediate busbar is electrically connected to the power block by crimping or welding.

20. The power module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The input terminal of the power block is located at the top of the power block.

21. The power module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, At least one side of the power block adjacent to the control module is provided with a shielding surface; the shielding surface is used to shield the electromagnetic interference of the magnetic components.

22. The power supply module as described in claim 21, characterized in that, The shielding surface is a large-area copper sheet for DC power transmission, or a PCB board for signal transmission.

23. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control module also includes a controller substrate, peripheral capacitors and peripheral resistors; the controller is a controller chip, and the controller chip is arranged parallel to the controller substrate.

24. The power module as described in claim 23, characterized in that, The controller chip is located away from the side of the large-area pinboard and is at least 3 mm above the first surface of the large-area pinboard.

25. The power supply module as described in claim 23, characterized in that, The controller chip is directly bonded to the controller substrate, and then the controller chip electrodes are guided to the controller substrate through a wire bonding process. Finally, the entire control module is encapsulated.

26. The power supply module as described in claim 23, characterized in that, The control module also includes a shielding layer; the shielding layer is disposed on the top or bottom surface of the controller and is used to shield the electromagnetic interference of the magnetic components.

27. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The power block includes at least two positive output terminals Vout and at least two negative output terminals GND; The positive output terminal Vout and the negative output terminal GND are evenly distributed within at least two-thirds of the outline of the power block's projection surface on the large-area pinboard.

28. The power module as described in claim 27, characterized in that, The two negative output terminals GND are located near two opposite sides of the power block; the positive output terminals Vout are located at relatively equal midpoints.

29. The power module as described in claim 27, characterized in that, The negative output terminal GND and the positive output terminal Vout are arranged in a relatively balanced and staggered manner.

30. The power supply module as described in claim 27, characterized in that, Each of the power blocks includes at least four power units; The positive output terminal Vout of each power unit is connected in parallel on a large-area pinout board; The blank area between the positive output terminal Vout and the negative output terminal GND pin is used to set the output capacitor.

31. The power module as described in claim 30, characterized in that, The at least four power units operate at the same frequency and are balanced out of phase, with a total phase of 360 degrees.

32. The power supply module as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The magnetic element includes an inductor winding; the inductor winding extends from the top to the bottom of the magnetic element in a single-turn, straight manner.

33. The power supply module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple test points are also provided on the first or third side of the control module; the test points are arranged in an array.

34. The power supply module as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The input power electrodes Vin and GND of the input terminal are disposed on the top electroplated layer of the power block.

35. A vertical power supply system, characterized in that, Includes a computing chip, a system PCB board, and a power module as described in any one of claims 1-31; The computing chip and power module are respectively located on both sides of the system PCB board; The computing chip, system PCB board, and power module are electrically connected.

36. The vertical power supply system as described in claim 35, characterized in that, The large-area pinboard is integrated on the surface of the system PCB.

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