SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a power module, a first housing and a second housing, each having adhesion surfaces, wherein the adhesion surfaces stick together to provide a coolant channel, and a sealing material.In this arrangement, one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material application section onto which the sealing material is applied, and the other adhesion surface includes a sealing material pressing section against which the sealing material is pressed, the sealing material pressing section being provided at a position corresponding to the sealing material application section, and one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material inflow suppression section that suppresses an inflow of the sealing material into the coolant channel, the sealing material inflow suppression section being provided at a position closer to the coolant channel than the sealing material application section.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. State of the art

[0002] A cooling channel for cooling a semiconductor device is formed by joining packages, but high reliability is required for assembling the packages during the formation of the cooling channel.

[0003] For example, the following PTL 1 discloses a power conversion device on a connecting portion between the housings, which has a structure with a double groove on a surface to which a sealing material is applied and a configuration in which a protrusion is provided. Literature listPatent literature

[0004] PTL 1: JP 2016-92209 A Summary of the inventionTechnical problem

[0005] In the structure of PTL 1, although the sealing itself is not problematic, corrosion may cause wear of the assembly when the sealing material comes into contact with a coolant channel. Against this background, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device in which preventing a decrease in bonding strength is compatible with preventing an adhesive from flowing into a coolant channel. Solution to the problem

[0006] A semiconductor device includes a power module that outputs electric power for driving a motor using a semiconductor, a first case and a second case each having adhesion surfaces, the adhesion surfaces adhering to each other to provide a coolant channel for cooling the power module, and a sealing material that seals the adhesion surfaces of the first case and the second case.Here, one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material application portion to which the sealing material is applied, and the other adhesion surface includes a sealing material pressing portion against which the sealing material is pressed, wherein the sealing material pressing portion is provided at a position corresponding to the sealing material application portion, and one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material inflow suppression portion that suppresses inflow of the sealing material into the coolant channel, wherein the sealing material inflow suppression portion is provided at a position closer to the coolant channel than the sealing material application portion. Advantageous effects of the invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor device in which the prevention of a decrease in the adhesive strength is compatible with the prevention of an adhesive from flowing into a coolant channel. Brief description of the drawings [ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a power conversion device. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line AA of the power conversion device of Fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is an explanatory view of adhesive portions of casings of Fig. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is an explanatory view of a relationship between a sealing material and the adhesion surfaces according to an embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 illustrates mold patterns of a pressing section and an application section. [ Fig. 6] Fig. 6 illustrates first to fourth modifications of the pressing section, the applying section, and a storage section. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 illustrates fifth and sixth modifications of the pressing section, the applying section, and the storing section. Description of embodiments

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following description and drawings are to be considered as examples for describing the present invention and have been omitted and simplified where appropriate for clarity of description. Furthermore, the present invention can be embodied in various other modes. For each component, a single component or a plurality of components may be provided unless otherwise stated.

[0009] Positions, sizes, shapes, areas, and the like of the components illustrated in the drawings may not represent actual positions, sizes, shapes, areas, and the like in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, areas, and the like disclosed in the drawings. (An embodiment and overall device configuration of the present invention) (FIG. 1)

[0010] Fig. 1(a) is an explanatory view of a power module housed in a case, and Fig. 1(b) is an explanatory view of a bottom cover attached to the case. In a semiconductor device 1, a power module 3 that outputs electric power to drive a motor using a semiconductor is inserted into a case 5, and a power module plate 13 is mounted on the case 5 to sandwich and hold the power module 3.

[0011] Here, a lower cover 4 specifically includes a water passage pipe 14, and the water passage pipe 14 is press-fitted into the lower cover 4. A sealing material (described later) is further applied to a groove of the casing 5, and the lower cover 4 is mounted to the casing 5 while sandwiching the sealing material. (FIG. 2)

[0012] Fig. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 1(b), and Fig. 2(b) is an enlarged view of a housing connecting portion of Fig. 2(a). The semiconductor device 1 includes the power module 3, and the bottom cover 4 is attached to the case 5, so that the power module 3 is housed in the case 5. As a result, a coolant channel 2 for cooling the power module 3 is formed. Hereinafter, the bottom cover 4 will be described as the first case 4, and the case 5 as a second case 5.

[0013] In a housing connecting portion 6, a sealing material 7 is used on the adhesion surfaces when the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 adhere to each other at the adhesion surfaces to form the coolant channel 2. Here, the sealing material 7 is, for example, a silicone-based adhesive and causes the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 to adhere to each other and seal them. In the housing connecting portion 6, by connecting the first housing 4 and the second housing 5, two grooves are formed at the connecting portion as a groove by a sealing material pressing portion 9 and a sealing material applying portion 10, and as a groove by the sealing material pressing portion 9 and a sealing material inflow suppressing portion 8.In these two grooves, the groove located at the outer peripheral portion of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 is formed by the sealing material pressing portion 9 in the first housing 4 and the sealing material applying portion 10 in the second housing 5.

[0014] The sealing material application portion 10 has a recessed shape, and the sealing material pressing portion 9 has a protruding shape with a projection. Furthermore, the sealing material application portion 10 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 adhere to each other to surround the coolant channel 2. Furthermore, it should be noted that the sealing material application portion 10 may have a trapezoidal shape, taking into account easy flow of the sealing material 7.

[0015] On the other hand, one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 has the groove formed at a position closer to the coolant channel 2 than the sealing material application portion 10. As this groove, the second housing 5 has the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 having a depressed shape. Here, the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 is formed to surround the coolant channel 2. Further, a sealing material storage portion 12 is provided outside the coolant channel 2 of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5.

[0016] It should be noted that the sealing material application section 10 is not limited to the Fig. 2 and may also be formed on one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 or the second housing 5, and the sealing material 7 is applied thereto. In this case, the sealing material pressing portion 9 is formed at a position corresponding to the sealing material application portion 10 on the other adhesion surface, and said portion presses the sealing material 7 disposed on the sealing material application portion 10. (FIG. 3)

[0017] The sealing material application portion 10 and the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 are arranged to control the spread of the sealing material 7 at the time of adhesion between the first housing 4 and the second housing 5. Here, the sealing material application portion 10 is arranged at a position closer to the outer peripheral portion than the coolant channel 2 on the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5. On the other hand, the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 is arranged at a position closer to the coolant channel 2 than the outer peripheral portion on the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5.

[0018] On the adhesion surfaces, in a case where a length from the position of the sealing material application portion 10 to the position of the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 is defined as a first length 11a and a length from the outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surface to the position of the sealing material application portion 10 is defined as a second length 11b, the first length 11a is longer than the second length 11b. That is, with respect to the sealing material application portion 10, the adhesion surface closer to the coolant passage 2 has a larger area than the outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surface. This is because an internal pressure is applied to the adhesion surface from the coolant in the coolant passage 2, and thus the first housing 4 expands due to the internal pressure.Since a load due to the internal pressure needs to be efficiently transmitted to the sealing material 7 at this time, a portion (first length 11a) with the larger adhesion area is provided to be close to the coolant channel 2. In addition, since the sealing material 7 extrudes into the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 at the time of adhesion of the housings, the adhesion surface of a wide range is secured on the first length 11a to prevent the sealing material 7 from excessively extruding. (FIG. 4)

[0019] Fig. 4(a) is a view in which the sealing material 7 is applied to the sealing material application portion 10, Fig. 4(b) is a view illustrating a state in the middle of the adhesion between the first housing 4 and the second housing 5, and Fig. 4(c) is a view illustrating a state in which the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 are adhered to each other. Fig. 4(a) to Fig. 4(c) a series of processes for connecting the housings.

[0020] First, the sealing material 7 is applied to the sealing material application portion 10 of the second housing 5. The application amount of the sealing material 7 is controlled by a dispenser or the like to a predetermined application amount, that is, the application amount is adjusted so that the sealing material 7, which is pressed to spread in the right and left directions during the adhesion of the housings, is held in the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8. Therefore, the inflow of the sealing material 7 into the coolant channel 2 can be suppressed. Further, the sealing material application portion 10 has a width sufficient to accommodate the sealing material 7.

[0021] Subsequently, in the process of attaching the first housing 4 to the second housing 5, the sealing material pressing portion 9 of the first housing 4 comes into contact with the sealing material 7 applied to the sealing material application portion 10 and starts to press the sealing material 7. At the time of adhesion of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5, the sealing material pressing portion 9 pinches to spread the sealing material 7 while digging into the sealing material 7. Note that since the sealing material application portion 10 with a recessed shape and the sealing material pressing portion 9 with a protruding shape have adhesion surfaces equivalent to each other and have no adhesion difference, the sealing material 7 can provide sufficient adhesion force to prevent peeling at an interface.

[0022] Furthermore, when the first housing 4 is mounted on the second housing 5, the sealing material 7 is pressed to spread in the right and left directions of the adhesion surfaces. As a result, part of the sealing material 7 is stored in the groove of the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 on the coolant channel 2 side, while part of the sealing material 7 is stored in the sealing material storage portion 12 when the sealing material 7 is pressed to spread toward the outer peripheral portion.

[0023] Since the process of adhering the housings is performed using such a configuration, the sealing material pressing section 9 of the first housing 4 separates air trapped in the sealing material 7 and discharges the air toward both ends of the adhesion surfaces, thereby securing the adhesion surface in the sealing material applying section 10. Furthermore, the uniformity of the adhesion strength ensures that the adhesion strength of the adhesion surfaces is stable. Furthermore, since the sealing material 7 is applied and pressed in only one groove instead of the double-groove structure described as a conventional technique, the adhesion reliability can be improved by preventing air entrainment.

[0024] On the adhesion surfaces of the housings, an end portion of the first housing 4 on the coolant channel 2 side is defined as a first end portion 4a, an end portion of the first housing 4 on the outer circumference side is defined as a second end portion 4b, an end portion of the second housing 5 on the coolant channel 2 side is defined as a third end portion 5a, and an end portion of the second housing 5 on the outer circumference side is defined as a fourth end portion 5b. The first housing 4 and the second housing 5 adhere to each other, with the first end portion 4a and the third end portion 5a in contact with each other, and the second end portion 4b and the fourth end portion 5b in contact with each other.

[0025] When the housings overlap each other, the sealing material 7 has a property of easily adhering to the housing having a surface with a larger area, thereby raising a problem of the reliability of the adhesion surface. This problem can be prevented by adhering the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 to each other with the lengths of their end portions corresponding to each other. Furthermore, since the first end portion 4a and the third end portion 5a are connected, there is an effect that the sealing material 7 does not flow into the coolant passage 2 even if the sealing material 7 is separated from the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8.

[0026] Furthermore, the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 are provided with the sealing material storage portion 12, in which the sealing material 7 is stored, on the outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surfaces of the housings. This prevents the sealing material 7 from excessively extruding toward the outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surfaces, thereby reducing corrosion of the sealing material 7 by preventing salt accumulation in the extruded portion. (FIG. 5)

[0027] The sealing material application portion 10 has an inclined shape at both ends instead of a rectangular shape, so that the sealing material pressing portion 9 can discharge air while being pressed to spread the sealing material 7 when the sealing material 7 is applied and the first housing 4 is attached to the second housing 5. This facilitates the flow of the sealing material 7 at the time of adhesion of the housings. Since the sealing material pressing portion 9 is the center of the left-and-right spreading of the sealing material 7 during assembly, the spreading of the sealing material 7 can be controlled by the position and shape of the pressing portion 9.

[0028] At least one of the sealing material pressing portion 9 and the sealing material applying portion 10 of the first housing 4 may also have a trapezoidal shape. Fig. 5(a) illustrates an example in which the sealing material pressing portion 9 has such a trapezoidal shape. In Fig. 5(a), the sealing material pressing section 9 and the sealing material applying section 10 are located symmetrically with respect to a center line 16.

[0029] Furthermore, the sealing material pressing section 9 can have a symmetrical shape or an asymmetrical shape. In particular, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the sealing material pressing section 9 may be arranged such that, with respect to the width of the sealing material applying section 10, the length 15a of the groove from the sealing material pressing section 9 to one end portion of the sealing material applying section 10 differs from the length 15b of the groove from the sealing material pressing section 9 to the other end portion of the sealing material applying section 10. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5(c), the sealing material pressing portion 9 may be a sealing material pressing portion 9a which is asymmetrical with respect to the center line 16.

[0030] In addition, although the trapezoidal shape of the sealing material pressing portion 9 has been described as a sample example, the sealing material pressing portion 9 may also have other shapes as long as it can press the sealing material 7 and ensure the adhesion reliability to the adhesion surfaces of the housings. (First to fourth modifications)(FIG. 6)

[0031] Furthermore, the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 may be provided in either the first housing 4 or the second housing 5. Furthermore, the sealing material pressing portion 9 and the sealing material applying portion 10 may be provided without depending on which of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 includes the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8, as long as the sealing material pressing portion 9 is accommodated in the sealing material applying portion 10 at the time of adhesion.

[0032] Fig. 6(a) illustrates an example in which the sealing material inflow suppressing portion 8 and the sealing material applying portion 10 are arranged in the second housing 5 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 is arranged in the first housing 4. Fig. 6(b) also illustrates an example in which the sealing material inflow suppressing portion 8 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 are arranged in the first housing 4 and the sealing material applying portion 10 is arranged in the second housing 5. Fig. 6(c) further illustrates an example in which the sealing material inflow suppression section 8 and the sealing material application section 10 are arranged in the first housing 4 and the sealing material pressing section 9 in the second housing 5. In addition, Fig. 6(d) shows an example in which the sealing material applying portion 10 is arranged in the first housing 4 and the sealing material inflow suppressing portion 8 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 are arranged in the second housing 5. (Fifth modification and sixth modification)(FIG. 7)

[0033] As in Fig. 7(a), the same effect can be achieved by providing the sealing material pressing portion 9b with a groove around the pressing portion, and thus the sealing material pressing portion 9b can be formed by simpler processing than the sealing material pressing portion 9b that does not have a groove. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 7(b), the sealing material applying portion 10 may also not have an adhesive surface corresponding to the sealing material pressing portion 9, and thus may specifically have a shape such that the sealing material pressing portion 9 is located in the center of the sealing material applying portion 10.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present invention described above, the following operation effects are produced accordingly.

[0035] (1) The semiconductor device 1 includes the power module 3 that outputs electric power for driving a motor using a semiconductor, the first case 4 and the second case 5 each having adhesion surfaces, the adhesion surfaces adhering to each other to form the coolant channel 2 for cooling the power module 3, and the sealing material 7 that seals the adhesion surfaces of the first case 4 and the second case 5.Here, one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 includes the sealing material application portion 10 to which the sealing material 7 is applied, and the other adhesion surface includes the sealing material pressing portion 9 against which the sealing material 7 is pressed, wherein the sealing material pressing portion 9 is provided at a position corresponding to the sealing material application portion 10, and one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing 4 and the second housing 5 includes the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 which suppresses inflow of the sealing material 7 into the coolant channel 2, wherein the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 is provided at a position closer to the coolant channel 2 than the sealing material application portion 10.This makes it possible to provide the semiconductor device 1 in which the prevention of a decrease in the adhesive strength is compatible with the prevention of an adhesive from flowing into the coolant channel.

[0036] (2) Furthermore, the sealing material application portion 10 has a recessed shape, the sealing material pressing portion 9 has a protruding shape, and the sealing material application portion 10 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 adhere to each other to surround the coolant passage 2. In this way, the coolant passage 2 can be formed by the housings including the stable adhesion surfaces.

[0037] (3) At least one of the sealing material application portion 10 and the sealing material pressing portion 9 further has a trapezoidal shape. This facilitates the flow of the sealing material 7.

[0038] (4) The sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 further has a recessed shape and is formed to surround the coolant channel 2. In this way, while ensuring the reliability of the adhesion surfaces, the spreading of the sealing material 7 is controlled so that the sealing material 7 does not flow into the coolant channel 2.

[0039] (5) On the adhesion surfaces, the length from the position of the sealing material application portion 10 to the position of the sealing material inflow suppression portion 8 is longer than the length from the outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surface to the position of the sealing material application portion 10. As a result, a load due to an internal pressure from the coolant channel 2 can be efficiently transmitted to the sealing material 7.

[0040] (6) The adhesion surface of the first housing 4 further includes the first end portion 4a, which is an end portion on the coolant channel 2 side, and the second end portion 4b, which is an end portion on the outer peripheral portion side. Furthermore, the adhesion surface of the second housing 5 includes the third end portion 5a, which is an end portion on the coolant channel 2 side, and the fourth end portion 5b, which is an end portion on the outer peripheral portion side. The first housing 4 and the second housing 5 adhere to each other with the first end portion 4a and the third end portion 5a in contact with each other, and the second end portion 4b and the fourth end portion 5b in contact with each other. This can prevent the sealing material 7 from being mixed into the coolant channel 2.

[0041] (7) The first housing 4 and the second housing 5 each further include the sealing material storage portion 12, in which the sealing material 7 is stored, on the outer peripheral portions of the adhesion surfaces of the housings. This can reduce corrosion of the sealing material 7 by preventing salt accumulation in the protruding portion.

[0042] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and other configurations can be combined without departing from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a configuration including all of the configurations described in the above embodiment, and a suitable embodiment may also include a configuration in which some of the shown configurations are omitted. List of reference symbols 1 semiconductor device 2 coolant channel 3 Power module 4 bottom cover (first housing) 4a first final section 4b second end section 5 housings (second housing) 5a third end section 5b fourth end section 6 Housing connection section 7 Sealing material 8 Sealing material inflow suppression section 9 Sealing material pressing section 9a asymmetrical pressing section 9b Pressing section having a groove on the circumference 10 Sealing material application section 10a Application section having a large groove 11 Length 11a first pitch 11b second length 12 Sealing material storage section 13 Power module plate 14 Water passage pipe 15 length 15a Length of the first groove 15b Length of the second groove 16 Center line QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2016-92209 A

[0004]

Claims

[1] A semiconductor device comprising: a power module that outputs electric power to drive a motor using a semiconductor; a first housing and a second housing each having adhesion surfaces, the adhesion surfaces adhering to each other to provide a coolant channel for cooling the power module; and a sealing material that seals the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing, wherein one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material application portion to which the sealing material is applied, the other adhesion surface includes a sealing material pressing portion against which the sealing material is pressed, the sealing material pressing portion being provided at a position corresponding to the sealing material applying portion, and one of the adhesion surfaces of the first housing and the second housing includes a sealing material inflow suppressing portion that suppresses inflow of the sealing material into the coolant channel, wherein the sealing material inflow suppressing portion is provided at a position closer to the coolant channel than the sealing material applying portion. [2] The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material application section has a recessed shape, the sealing material pressing portion has a protruding shape, and the sealing material applying portion and the sealing material pressing portion adhere to each other to surround the coolant passage. [3] The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the sealing material applying portion and the sealing material pressing portion has a trapezoidal shape. [4] The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material inflow suppressing portion has a recessed shape and is provided to surround the coolant channel. [5] The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein, on the adhesion surfaces, a length from a position of the sealing material application portion to a position of the sealing material inflow suppression portion is longer than a length from an outer peripheral portion of the adhesion surface to the position of the sealing material application portion. [6] The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion surface of the first housing includes a first end portion which is an end portion on the coolant channel side and a second end portion which is an end portion on the outer peripheral portion side, the adhesion surface of the second housing includes a third end portion which is an end portion on the coolant channel side and a fourth end portion which is an end portion on the outer peripheral portion side, and the first housing and the second housing are adhered to each other, the first end portion and the third end portion being in contact with each other, and the second end portion and the fourth end portion being in contact with each other. [7] The semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first case and the second case each include a sealing material storage portion in which the sealing material is stored, on the outer peripheral portions of the adhesion surfaces of the first and second cases.

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