Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing a semiconductor device

Abstract

A semiconductor device comprises a sealing material, a first semiconductor element, a first external terminal, a second external terminal, and a first insulating element. The first semiconductor element has a first surface and is covered with the sealing material. The first external terminal is connected to the first surface. The second external terminal is located remotely from the first external terminal and is connected to the first surface. The first insulating element connects the first external terminal and the second external terminal within the sealing material.

Description

Technical field The present disclosure relates to semiconductor devices. State of the art Patent document 1 discloses a technology relating to a semiconductor device. State of the art documents Patent document Patent document 1: Japanese patent application with publication number 2019-220648 Summary Problem to be solved by the invention It is desirable to facilitate the assembly of a semiconductor device. The present disclosure was conceived in light of the foregoing, and it is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a technology which can facilitate the assembly of a semiconductor device. Means to solve the problem One aspect of a semiconductor device includes a sealing material, a first semiconductor element, a first external terminal, a second external terminal, and a first insulating element. The first semiconductor element has a first face and is covered with the sealing material. The first external terminal is connected to the first face. The second external terminal is located away from the first external terminal and is connected to the first face. The first insulating element connects the first external terminal and the second external terminal within the sealing material. One aspect of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned semiconductor device comprising preparing an element comprising a first external terminal, a second external terminal and a first insulating element connecting the first external terminal and the second external terminal, and connecting the first external terminal and the second external terminal of the element together with the first semiconductor element. Effects of the invention The assembly of the semiconductor device is simplified. The tasks, features, aspects and benefits of the present revelation will become clearer with the help of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Brief description of the characters [Fig. 1] is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device. [Fig. 2] is a schematic top view showing an example of a part of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 3] is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a unit element. [Fig. 4] is a schematic view showing an example of a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. [Fig. 5] is a schematic view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 6] is a schematic view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 7] is a schematic view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 8] is a schematic view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device.[Fig. 9] is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device. [Fig. 10] is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device. [Fig. 11] is a schematic top view showing an example of part of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 12] is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device. [Fig. 13] is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 14] is a schematic top view showing an example of part of the semiconductor device. [Fig. 15] is a schematic top view showing an example of part of the semiconductor device. Description of the embodiments Design 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device 1A according to embodiment 1. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the semiconductor device 1A includes a base plate 10, an insulating substrate 20, a conductive structure 30, a semiconductor element 40, external terminals 60 and 70, an insulating element 80, interconnect materials 90, 91 and 92, and a sealing material 100. Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the semiconductor device 1A, with the sealing material 100 removed from the view from above the side of Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the insulating substrate 20 is arranged on the base plate 10. The conductive structure 30 is arranged on the insulating substrate 20. The semiconductor element 40 is connected to the conductive structure 30 by the conductive connecting material 90. The connecting material 90 is located between the semiconductor element 40 and the conductive structure 30. The conductive structure 30 is electrically connected to the semiconductor element 40. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the semiconductor device 1A includes, for example, a plurality of external terminals 60. The external terminals 60 are connected to the semiconductor element 40 by conductive connecting materials 91. The connecting materials 91 are located between the external terminals 60 and the semiconductor element 40. An external terminal 70 is connected to the semiconductor element 40 by conductive connecting material 92. The connecting material 92 is located between the external terminal 70 and the semiconductor element 40. The external terminals 60 and 70 are electrically connected to the semiconductor element 40. Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the plurality of external terminals 60, the external terminal 70, and the insulating element 80. The plurality of external terminals 60 and the external terminal 70 are connected by the insulating element 80. The plurality of external terminals 60, the external terminal 70, and the insulating element 80 are integrated to form a unit element 50. The sealing material 100 is arranged on the base plate 10 to cover the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, the unit element 50, and the connecting materials 90, 91, and 92. Parts of the external terminals 60 and part of the external terminal 70 extend beyond the sealing material 100. That is, these parts of the external terminals 60 and the portion of the external terminal 70 are located outside the sealing material 100. The external terminals 60 and 70 are also referred to as conductor terminals, for example. The sealing material 100 can be made of a resin. The resin forming the sealing material 100 can be a silicone resin or an epoxy resin. Each component of semiconductor device 1A is described in detail below. For the sake of simplicity, the top, bottom, left, right, far, and near sides of Fig. 1 are hereafter referred to as the top, bottom, left, right, rear, and front sides of semiconductor device 1A, respectively. A direction perpendicular to a vertical direction of semiconductor device 1A is referred to as a horizontal direction. The horizontal direction of semiconductor device 1A includes a left-right direction and a front-back direction. The definition of the top side and the like applies equally to each of the semiconductor devices 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, each illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 12, which are described below. The semiconductor element 40 is a plate-like semiconductor chip, which is isolated, for example, from a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor chip is also referred to as a wafer chip or a die. The semiconductor element 40 can be made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si) or it can be made of a wide-bandgap semiconductor such as silicon carbide (SiC), methane (GaN), gallium hydroxide (Ga2O3), and diamond. Semiconductor element 40, for example, is a power semiconductor element. Semiconductor element 40 can include a switching element such as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Semiconductor element 40 can include a switching element and a freewheeling diode. As illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the semiconductor element 40 includes a plurality of electrodes in its surfaces. For example, the semiconductor element 40 includes main electrodes 41 and 42, between which a main current of the semiconductor element 40 flows, and a plurality of signal electrodes 45, into which signals are input. The plurality of signal electrodes 45 may include a signal electrode 45 into which a signal is input from outside the semiconductor element 40, or it may include a signal electrode 45 into which a signal is input from inside the semiconductor element 40. The signal electrodes 45 can be said to be the electrodes that transmit the signals. The semiconductor element 40, for example, has the main electrode 41 and the plurality of signal electrodes 45 in an upper surface as one of its main surfaces, and has the main electrode 42 in a lower surface as the other of its main surfaces.The main electrodes 41 and 42 and the multitude of signal electrodes 45 can each be made of metal such as aluminium, copper and gold. The main electrode 42, for example, extends over the entire lower surface of the semiconductor element 40. The plurality of signal electrodes 45 are, for example, arranged in a line, while being spaced apart from each other along the front-back direction. The main electrode 41 is, for example, arranged such that it faces the plurality of signal electrodes 45 in the left-right direction. The main electrode 41 is positioned at a distance from each of the signal electrodes 45. An example of an arrangement of the signal electrodes 45, the main electrode 41, and the main electrode 42 is not limited to that in this example. For example, if the semiconductor element 40 has an IGBT, the main electrode 42 on a lower side is a collector electrode, and the main electrode 41 on an upper side is an emitter electrode. The collector electrode is an electrode into which a main current flows through the IGBT and is also referred to, for example, as a current entry electrode or an anode. The emitter electrode is an electrode from which the main current flows out of the IGBT and is also referred to, for example, as a current exit electrode or a cathode. In the semiconductor element 40, the main current flows, for example, from the lower surface to the upper surface. For example, if the semiconductor element 40 includes the IGBT, the plurality of signal electrodes 45 includes a gate electrode. A control signal for switching the IGBT on or off is input to the gate electrode. The plurality of signal electrodes 45 may include a signal electrode to detect the temperature of the semiconductor element 40, or it may include a signal electrode to detect the main current flowing through the semiconductor element 40. The multitude of external terminals 60 are connected to the respective signal electrodes 45 in the upper surface of the semiconductor element 40 by means of the connecting materials 91. The multitude of external terminals 60 are electrically connected to the respective signal electrodes 45. It can be said that the external terminals 60 are, for example, signal terminals into which signals are input from outside the semiconductor device 1A or from inside the semiconductor device 1A. The external terminals 60 are also referred to below as signal terminals 60. It can be said that the signal terminals 60 are terminals that transmit the signals. The signal terminals 60 are, for example, L-shaped, elongated, plate-like elements. They can also be described as L-shaped, rod-like elements. One of a plurality of surfaces of each of the signal terminals 60 is connected to a corresponding surface of the signal electrodes 45. Each of the signal terminals 60 extends to the left from the semiconductor element 40 and is, for example, bent upwards after extending outside the sealing material 100. Each of the signal terminals 60 comprises a horizontal portion extending in the horizontal direction, specifically in the left-right direction, and a vertical portion extending in the vertical direction. One end along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal portion is connected to the signal electrode 45. The other end along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal portion extends outside the sealing material 100 and is connected to the vertical portion.The multiple signal connectors 60 are arranged in a line, for example, while being spaced apart along the front-to-back direction. The shapes and arrangement of the signal connectors 60 are not limited to those in this example. The number of signal connectors 60 can be as small as one. The signal connectors 60 can have textured surfaces to improve adhesion between the sealing material 100 and the signal connectors 60. The external terminal 70 is connected to the main electrode 41 in the upper surface of the semiconductor element 40 via the connecting material 92. The external terminal 70 is electrically connected to the main electrode 41. It can be said that the external terminal 70 is, for example, a main terminal through which the main current flows. The external terminal 70 will also be referred to as the main terminal 70 in the following. The main terminal 70, for example, is a plate-like element that is wider than any of the signal terminals 60. The main terminal 70 has, for example, a planar shape that is elongated in one direction. One of a plurality of faces of the main terminal 70 is connected to the main electrode 41. The main terminal 70 extends, for example, to the right from the semiconductor element 40 and extends outside the sealing material 100. The main terminal 70 is positioned at a distance from each of the signal terminals 60. An end face in one longitudinal direction of the main terminal 70 faces an end face in the longitudinal direction of each of the signal terminals 60, while being spaced from one end face of the signal terminal 60. The shape and arrangement of the main terminal 70 are not limited to those in this example.The main connection 70 may have textured surfaces to improve adhesion between the sealing material 100 and the main connection 70. The signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 can be made of pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The material used for the signal terminals 60 and the material used for the main terminal 70 can be of the same type or different types. The array of signal terminals 60 can consist of a variety of signal terminals 60 made of materials of the same type or a variety of signal terminals 60 made of materials of different types. The array of signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 are also referred to simply as external terminals without reference numerals when there is no need to distinguish between them. The base plate 10 is a plate-like element, made, for example, of metal such as copper or aluminum. The base plate 10 transfers heat generated by the semiconductor element 40, for example, to an outer surface of the semiconductor device 1A. The insulating substrate 20 is made of an insulating material such as ceramic. The conductive structure 30 is formed on an upper surface of the insulating substrate 20. The conductive structure 30 is, for example, a metal layer made of copper, aluminum, or the like. The conductive structure 30 is also referred to as a circuit structure or a wiring structure. It can be said that the insulating substrate 20 and the conductive structure 30 form, for example, a wiring substrate. The main electrode 42 in the lower surface of the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the conductive structure 30 by the connecting material 90. The main electrode 42 is electrically connected to the conductive structure 30. The connecting materials 90, 91, and 92 are made of a conductive material. It can be said that connecting materials 90, 91, and 92 are, for example, conductive connecting materials. The material for connecting materials 90, 91, and 92 can be solder or brazing alloy. The insulating element 80, which connects the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, is made of an insulating material. The material for the insulating element 80 can be, for example, ceramic or a resin. The resin used for the insulating element 80 can be, for example, a phenolic resin or an epoxy resin. The insulating element 80 is covered with the sealing material 100 and connects each of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 within the sealing material 100. The insulating element 80 is connected to each of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. The insulating element 80 can be directly connected to each of the external terminals by casting or the like, or it can be connected to each of the external terminals by a joining material such as a brazing alloy. The insulating element 80 has an elongated, plate-like shape and, for example, includes a portion that fills a gap between each of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. The insulating element 80 also includes a portion that fills a space (i.e., an intermediate space) between one end face along the longitudinal axis of the main terminal 70 and one end face along the longitudinal axis of each of the signal terminals 60. In this example, the insulating element 80 only includes the portion that fills the gap between each of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. For example, the main terminal 70 and the insulating element 80 connected to the main terminal 70 form a planar element. For example, an upper surface of the insulating element 80, an upper surface of the main terminal 70, and upper surfaces of horizontal parts of the signal terminals 60 are flush with each other. For example, a lower surface of the insulating element 80, a lower surface of the main terminal 70, and lower surfaces of the horizontal parts of the signal terminals 60 are flush with each other. For example, a front surface of the insulating element 80, a front surface of the main terminal 70, and a front surface of a horizontal part of the foremost of the plurality of signal terminals 60 are flush with each other.For example, a rear surface of the insulating element 80, a rear surface of the main terminal 70 and a rear surface of a horizontal part of a rearmost of the plurality of signal terminals 60 are flush with each other. The semiconductor device 1A can have an external terminal (also referred to as a lead terminal) that is connected to the conductive structure 30 by a conductive connecting material. The external terminal is electrically connected to the main electrode 42 (e.g., an emitter electrode) of the semiconductor element 40. As described above, in semiconductor device 1A, the external terminals 60 and 70 are connected by the insulating element 80, allowing them to be connected together with the semiconductor element 40. This simplifies the assembly of semiconductor device 1A. Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device 1A. First, as illustrated on a lower side of Fig. 4, the insulating substrate 20, on which the conductive structure 30 has been formed, is connected to the base plate 10. The semiconductor element 40 is connected to the conductive structure 30, and the interconnect materials 91 and 92 are arranged on the upper surface of the semiconductor element 40. On the other hand, as illustrated on a upper side of Fig. 4, the unit element 50 is prepared, which includes the signal terminals 60, the main terminal 70, and the insulating element 80 that connects the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. A lower surface of the base plate 10 is heated, for example, by a heating block 900, to melt the interconnect materials 91 and 92 arranged on the upper surface of the semiconductor element 40.The signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 of the unit element 50 are pressed against the connecting materials 91 and 92 in a molten state to connect the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 together with the upper surface of the semiconductor element 40. This results in the structure illustrated in Fig. 2. The sealing material 100 is then formed to complete the semiconductor device 1A. Here, when the signal terminals 60 are connected to the semiconductor element 40, heat is transferred from the heating block 900 sequentially through the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, and the connecting materials 91 to the signal terminals 60. When the main terminal 70 is connected to the semiconductor element 40, heat is transferred from the heating block 900 sequentially through the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, and the connecting material 92 to the main terminal 70. The heat input paths to the signal terminals 60 and the heat input paths to the main terminal 70 are thus similar. The temperature of the signal terminals 60 and the temperature of the main terminal 70 can therefore be raised similarly, so that the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 are easily connected together to the top surface of the semiconductor element 40. If the melting temperature of the interconnect materials 91 and the melting temperature of the interconnect material 92 are similar, the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 are easily connected together with the semiconductor element 40. For example, if a material for interconnect materials 91 and a material for interconnect material 92 are of the same type, the melting temperature of interconnect materials 91 and the melting temperature of interconnect material 92 are similar. If the insulating element 80 is made of a material such as ceramic that has a sufficiently higher thermal resistance temperature than a material used for the external connections, the insulating element 80 will not limit the rate of temperature increase during the connection of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 to the semiconductor element 40, and the temperature of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 can be raised to the required temperatures in a suitable manner. The signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 are thus easily connected together to the semiconductor element 40. The insulating element 80 may have a portion that spans the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. In this case, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the insulating element 80 may be directly connected to the upper surface of the main terminal 70 and the upper surfaces of the horizontal portions of the signal terminals 60 by casting or the like. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the insulating element 80 may be connected to the upper surface of the main terminal 70 by a connecting material 94 and to the upper surfaces of the horizontal portions of the signal terminals 60 by connecting materials 93. The connecting materials 93 and 94 may be brazing materials. The connecting materials 93 and 94 may be of the same type or of different types. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the insulating element 80 can have the part that fills the gap between the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, and the part that spans the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. Design 2. Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device 1B according to embodiment 2. The semiconductor device 1B is a semiconductor device in which plating layers 110 and 120 are further arranged in the semiconductor device 1A according to embodiment 1 described above. In regions of the signal terminals 60 where the signal electrodes 45 of the semiconductor element 40 are connected to the signal terminals 60, plating layers 110 are arranged that exhibit higher wettability with the bonding materials 91 than the signal terminals 60. The plating layers 110 were plated in regions of the lower surfaces of the horizontal parts of the signal terminals 60 where the signal terminals 60 are connected to the signal electrodes 45. When the signal terminals 60 are connected to the signal electrodes 45 by the bonding materials 91, the bonding materials 91 are located between the plating layers 110 and the signal electrodes 45. It can be said that the plating layers 110 and the signal electrodes 45 are connected by the bonding materials 91.For example, if the material for the connecting materials 91 is solder and the material for the signal connections 60 is pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the plating layers 110 can be made of nickel, silver, or gold. A method for plating the plating layers 110 can be electrolytic plating or electroless plating. Similarly, in a region of the main terminal 70 where the main electrode 41 of the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the main terminal 70, a plating layer 120 is arranged that exhibits a higher wettability with the bonding material 92 than the main terminal 70. The plating layer 120 was plated in a region of the lower surface of the main terminal 70 where the main terminal 70 is connected to the main electrode 41. When the main terminal 70 is connected to the main electrode 41 by the bonding material 92, the bonding material 92 is located between the plating layer 120 and the main electrode 41. It can be said that the plating layer 120 and the main electrode 41 are connected by the bonding material 92.For example, if the material for the connecting material 92 is solder and the material for the signal connection 70 is pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the plating layer 120 can be made of nickel, silver, or gold. A plating method for the plating layer 120 can be electrolytic plating or electroless plating. The plating layer material 120 and the plating layer material 110 can be of the same type or of different types. As described above, in this example, in the regions of the signal terminals 60 where the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the signal terminals 60, the plating layers 110 are arranged. These plating layers have a higher wettability with the bonding materials 91 than the signal terminals 60, so that the bonding materials 91 facilitate the connection of the signal terminals 60 to the semiconductor element 40. For example, the plating layers 110 can define wetting regions of the bonding materials 91, thus reducing the likelihood of a volume deficiency of the bonding materials 91 and facilitating the connection of the signal terminals 60 to the semiconductor element 40. Similarly, in this example, in the region of the main terminal 70, where the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the main terminal 70, the plating layer 120 is arranged, which has a higher wettability with the connecting material 92 than the main terminal 70, so that the main terminal 70 is easily connected to the semiconductor element 40 by the connecting material 92. The plating layer 110 may not be arranged on at least one of the plurality of signal terminals 60. The plating layer 120 may not be arranged on the main terminal 70. Design 3. Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device 1C according to embodiment 3. The semiconductor device 1C is a semiconductor device in which a unit element 50C is arranged instead of the unit element 50 in the semiconductor device 1B according to embodiment 2 described above. The unit element 50C is a unit element in which signal terminals 60C are arranged in place of the signal terminals 60 in the unit element 50 described above. Each of the signal terminals 60C has a first part 61 with relatively low strength and a second part 62 with relatively high strength. The first part 61 forms, for example, a horizontal part extending in the horizontal direction, particularly in the left-right direction, and the second part 62 forms, for example, a vertical part extending in the vertical direction. The first part 61 is partially located outside the sealing material 100. An entire region of the second part 62 is located outside the sealing material 100. One end of the first part 61, in a longitudinal direction, is connected by a bonding material 91 to a corresponding signal electrode 45 of the semiconductor element 40. A plating layer 110 is arranged in a region of the first part 61 where the signal electrode 45 is connected to the first part 61. The first part 61 extends to the left from the semiconductor element 40 and extends outside the sealing material 100. The other end of the first part 61, in a longitudinal direction, is located outside the sealing material 100. This other end of the first part 61, in a longitudinal direction, is connected by a conductive bonding material 63 to a lower end of the second part 62, which is located outside the sealing material 100. The bonding material 63 can be solder or brazing alloy. The second part 62 has a higher strength (e.g., tensile strength) than the first part 61. For example, if the material for the first part 61 is pure aluminum, the material for the second part 62 can be pure copper, a copper alloy, or an aluminum alloy. If the material for the first part 61 is an aluminum alloy, the material for the second part 62 can be a copper alloy. The second part 62 has a higher strength than the main terminal 70. For example, if the material for the main terminal 70 is pure aluminum, the material for the second part 62 can be pure copper, a copper alloy, or an aluminum alloy. If the material for the main terminal 70 is an aluminum alloy, the material for the second part 62 can be a copper alloy. If the second part 62 has a higher strength than the main terminal 70, it can be said that the signal terminals 60C have parts that have a higher strength than the main terminal 70. As illustrated in Fig. 9, a plating layer 64 can be arranged in a region of the first part 61 where the second part 62 is joined to the first part 61. This plating layer has a higher wettability with the joining material 63 than the first part 61. For example, if the material for the joining material 63 is a solder and the material for the first part 61 is pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the plating layer 64 can be made of nickel, silver, or gold. A method for plating the plating layer 64 can be electrolytic plating or electroless plating. The material for the plating layer 64 and the material for the plating layers 110 can be of the same type or different types.The material for plating layer 64 and the material for plating layer 120 can be of the same type or they can be of different types. It can be said that each of the signal terminals 60C has an inner part 160, which is located inside the sealing material 100, and an outer part 161, which is located outside the sealing material 100. The inner part 160 includes a portion of the first part 61, which is located inside the sealing material 100. The outer part 161 includes a portion of the first part 61, which is located outside the sealing material 100, the second part 62, the connecting material 63, and the plating layer 64. The outer part 161 has a portion that has a higher strength than at least a portion of the inner part 160. The outer part 161 has a portion that has a higher strength than at least a portion of the main terminal 70. If the outer part 161 has the portion that has a higher strength than at least the portion of the main terminal 70, it can be said that the signal terminals 60C have portions that have a higher strength than at least the portion of the main terminal 70. In an example from Fig. 9, the second part 62, which is contained in the outer part 161, has a higher strength than the inner part 160, which comprises part of the first part 61, and has a higher strength than the main connection 70. The outer part 161 has a portion that has a higher strength than an entire region of the inner part 160 and an entire region of the main connection 70. One of the ends in a longitudinal direction of each of the signal terminals 60C, which are located outside the sealing material 100, is hereby referred to as an outer end. A predetermined portion of the outer part 161, which comprises the outer end of each of the signal terminals 60C, has a higher strength than the inner part 160 and the main terminal 70. The outer part 161 may have a portion that has a higher strength than not the entire region of the inner part 160, but rather a portion of the inner part 160. In this case, the second part 62 may extend from outside to inside the sealing material 100, for example, to connect the second part 62 and the first part 61 through the connecting material 63 inside the sealing material 100. The outer part 161 may have a section that has a higher strength than not the entire region of the main terminal 70, but rather a part of the main terminal 70. In this case, the main terminal 70 may have a first section made of a material of the same type as the material for the first part 61, and a second section made of a material of the same type as the material for the second part 62. If the outer part 161 has the section that has a higher strength than the part of the main terminal 70, it can be said that the signal terminals 60C have sections that have a higher strength than the part of the main terminal 70. Similar to the signal terminals 60C, an outer part located outside the sealing material 100 of the main terminal 70 of the unit element 50C may have a part that has a higher strength than at least one position of an inner part located inside the sealing material 100. As described above, if the signal terminals 60C have parts with relatively high strength, they are less likely to undergo plastic deformation when connected to the semiconductor element 40 by the connecting materials 91. The signal terminals 60C are thus easily connected to the semiconductor element 40. The reliability of the semiconductor device 1C is improved. If the main terminal 70 has a portion with relatively high strength, it is less likely to undergo plastic deformation when connected to the semiconductor element 40 by the connecting material 92. The main terminal 70 is thus easily connected to the semiconductor element 40. The reliability of the semiconductor device 1C is improved. If the outer part 161 of each of the signal terminals 60C has a portion that has relatively high strength, it is less likely that the outer part 161 will be plastically deformed when a substrate, such as a control substrate, is inserted into the outer part 161. Similarly, if the outer part of the main connection 70 has a section that has relatively high strength, it is less likely that the outer part will be plastically deformed when, for example, the substrate is inserted into the outer part. While the unit element 50C is arranged in place of the unit element 50 in the semiconductor device 1B according to embodiment 2 in the above-mentioned example, the unit element 50C can be arranged in place of the unit element 50 in the semiconductor device 1A according to embodiment 1. An entire region comprising at least one of the multiple signal terminals 60 of each of the semiconductor devices 1A and 1B may be formed from a material exhibiting relatively high strength, such as pure copper and a copper alloy. An entire region of the main terminal 70 may be formed from a material exhibiting relatively high strength, such as pure copper and a copper alloy. Design 4. Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device 1D according to embodiment 4. The semiconductor device 1D is a semiconductor device in which a configuration 200a, which is the same as a configuration 200 comprising the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, and the interconnect materials 90, 91, and 92, has been added to the semiconductor device 1A. The base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, and the interconnect materials 90, 91, and 92 of the additional configuration 200a are hereinafter referred to as a base plate 10a, an insulating substrate 20a, a conductive structure 30a, a semiconductor element 40a, and interconnect materials 90a, 91a, and 92a, respectively.The main electrode 41, the main electrode 42 and the signal electrodes 45 of the semiconductor element 40a are each referred to as a main electrode 41a, a main electrode 42a and signal electrodes 45a. Configuration 200 and configuration 200a are arranged vertically such that they enclose a portion of unit element 50 between them. Configuration 200 is positioned on a lower side, and configuration 200a is positioned on an upper side. Configuration 200a and configuration 200 are arranged vertically symmetrically. The semiconductor element 40a is connected to the unit element 50 on a side opposite the semiconductor element 40. The plurality of signal electrodes 45a of the semiconductor element 40a are connected to the upper surfaces of the horizontal parts of the plurality of signal terminals 60 by the connecting materials 91a. The signal electrodes 45a of the semiconductor element 40a and the signal electrodes 45 of the semiconductor element 40 are electrically connected to each other. The main electrode 41a of the semiconductor element 40a is connected to the upper surface of the main terminal 70 by the connecting material 92a. The main electrode 41a of the semiconductor element 40a and the main electrode 41 of the semiconductor element 40 are electrically connected to each other. In the semiconductor device 1D, the semiconductor element 40a is connected to the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 on a side opposite the semiconductor element 40. The sealing material 100 is located between the base plate 10 and the base plate 10a. The insulating substrate 20a, the conductive structure 30a, the semiconductor element 40a and the connecting materials 90a, 91a and 92a of configuration 200a are covered with the sealing material 100. If, in the semiconductor device 1D, which has a configuration as described above, the semiconductor elements 40 and 40a each have a switching element such as an IGBT, then a main electrode 41 (e.g., a collector electrode) of the switching element of semiconductor element 40 and a main electrode 41a (e.g., a collector electrode) of the switching element of semiconductor element 40a are electrically connected to each other. The signal electrodes 45, as control electrodes of the switching element of semiconductor element 40, and the signal electrodes 45a, as control electrodes of the switching element of semiconductor element 40a, are, for example, electrically connected to each other. Fig. 11 is a schematic view showing an example of the unit element 50 and the configuration 200a illustrated in Fig. 10, viewed from below. As can be seen from the comparison between Fig. 11 and Fig. 2 described above, configuration 200 and configuration 200a have a similar arrangement of the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, and the semiconductor element 40. That is, the positional relationship between the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, and the semiconductor element 40 of configuration 200 is the same as the positional relationship between the base plate 10a, the insulating substrate 20a, the conductive structure 30a, and the semiconductor element 40a of configuration 200a.In a view-through top view of the semiconductor device 1D in the vertical direction, a positional relationship between the unit element 50 and the semiconductor element 40 and a positional relationship between the unit element 50 and the semiconductor element 40a are the same. A position in the left-right and front-back directions of base plate 10 is the same as that of base plate 10a, and a position in the left-right and front-back directions of insulating substrate 20 is the same as that of insulating substrate 20a. Thus, in the view-through top view of the semiconductor device 1D, an entire region of base plate 10 and an entire region of base plate 10a overlap in the vertical direction, and an entire region of insulating substrate 20 and an entire region of insulating substrate 20a overlap. A position in the left-right direction and the front-back direction of the conductive structure 30 is the same as that of the conductive structure 30a, and a position in the left-right direction and the front-back direction of the semiconductor element 40 is the same as that of the semiconductor element 40a.Thus, in the view-through plan view of the semiconductor device 1D, an entire region of the conductive structure 30 and an entire region of the conductive structure 30a overlap each other in the vertical direction, and an entire region of the semiconductor element 40 and an entire region of the semiconductor element 40a overlap each other. As described above, in the semiconductor device 1D, the semiconductor element 40a is connected to the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 on a side opposite the semiconductor element 40. This allows the footprint of the semiconductor device 1D to be reduced compared to a case where the semiconductor element 40a is connected to the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70 on the same side as the semiconductor element 40, in order to arrange the semiconductor elements 40 and 40a in the horizontal direction. The base plates 10 and 10a may be slightly misaligned in the horizontal direction, so that in the transmission view of the semiconductor device 1D, they partially overlap in the vertical direction. The insulating substrates 20 and 20a may be slightly misaligned in the horizontal direction, so that in the transmission view of the semiconductor device 1D, they partially overlap in the vertical direction. The conductive structures 30 and 30a may be slightly misaligned in the horizontal direction, so that in the transmission view of the semiconductor device 1D, they partially overlap in the vertical direction.The semiconductor elements 40 and 40a may be slightly misaligned in the horizontal direction, so that the semiconductor elements 40 and 40a partially overlap each other in the vertical direction in the view-through plan view of the semiconductor device 1D. In semiconductor device 1D, a plating layer can be arranged in a region between at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, in which the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, as in semiconductor device 1B. A plating layer can also be arranged in a region between at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, in which the semiconductor element 40a is connected to the at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70. In semiconductor device 1D, the unit element 50C of semiconductor device 1C can be used instead of the unit element 50. Design 5. Fig. 12 is a schematic view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of a semiconductor device 1E according to embodiment 5. Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the semiconductor device 1E. In Fig. 13, the thickness and other dimensions of some of the components of the semiconductor device 1E have been changed compared to those in Fig. 12. Semiconductor device 1E is a semiconductor device in which a configuration 210b, identical to configuration 210 comprising the base plate 10, insulating substrate 20, conductive structure 30, semiconductor element 40, interconnect materials 90, 91 and 92, unit element 50, external connector 300 and wiring element 310, has been added to semiconductor device 1A. The base plate 10, insulating substrate 20, conductive structure 30, semiconductor element 40, interconnect materials 90, 91 and 92 and unit element 50 of the additional configuration 210b are hereinafter referred to as a base plate 10b, an insulating substrate 20b, a conductive structure 30b, a semiconductor element 40b, interconnect materials 90b, 91b and 92b, and a unit element 50b, respectively.The main electrode 41, the main electrode 42, and the signal electrodes 45 of the semiconductor cell 40b are each referred to as a main electrode 41b, a main electrode 42b, and signal electrodes 45b, respectively. The signal terminals 60, the main terminal 70, and the insulating element 80 of the unit cell 50b are each referred to as signal terminals 60b, a main terminal 70b, and an insulating element 80b, respectively. The signal terminals 60 of configuration 210 and the signal terminals 60b of configuration 210b are both bent upwards. Configuration 210 and configuration 210b are otherwise arranged such that they are vertically and horizontally symmetrical. A configuration of configuration 210b, comprising the base plate 10b, the insulating substrate 20b, the conductive structure 30b, the semiconductor element 40b, the interconnecting materials 90b, 91b and 92b, the main terminal 70b and horizontal portions of the signal terminals 60b, is located remotely from and above a configuration of configuration 210, comprising the base plate 10, the insulating substrate 20, the conductive structure 30, the semiconductor element 40, the interconnecting materials 90, 91 and 92, the main terminal 70 and the horizontal portions of the signal terminals 60. The sealing material 100 is located between the base plate 10 and the base plate 10b. The insulating substrate 20b, the conductive structure 30b, the semiconductor element 40b, the interconnect materials 90b, 91b and 92b, and the unit element 50b of configuration 210b, the external connector 300, and the wiring element 310 are covered by the sealing material 100. However, part of the main connector 70b of the unit element 50b, parts of the signal connectors 60b of the unit element 50b, and part of the external connector 300 are exposed beyond the sealing material 100. The wiring element 310 electrically connects the main terminal 70 of configuration 210 and the conductive structure 30b of configuration 210b. The wiring element 310 is, for example, an elongated, plate-like element (i.e., a rod-like element). The wiring element 310 extends vertically. The wiring element 310 is made of a conductive material. A suitable material for the wiring element 310 could be a metal such as copper or aluminum. A lower end of the wiring element 310 is connected to the upper surface of the main terminal 70 of configuration 210 by a conductive connecting material formed from solder, a brazing material, or the like. An upper end of the wiring element 310 is connected to the conductive structure 30b of configuration 210b by a conductive connecting material formed from solder, a brazing material, or the like. The external connection 300 is, for example, an elongated, plate-like element (i.e., a rod-like element). One end in a longitudinal direction of the external connection 300 is connected to an upper surface of the conductive structure 30 of configuration 210 by a conductive joining material formed from solder, a brazing material, or the like. The external connection 300 extends slightly to the left from the conductive structure 30, is bent upwards, is then bent to the left, and extends outside the sealing material 100. The shape and arrangement of the external connection 300 are not limited to those in this example. The external connector 300, the signal connectors 60 of configuration 210, and the main connector 70b of configuration 210b are brought out of the sealing material 100 from a left side. As illustrated in Fig. 13, on an outer surface of the sealing material 100, the signal connectors 60 of configuration 210, the main connector 70b of configuration 210b, and the external connector 300 are arranged along the front-to-back direction in the specified order from the rear. The main terminal 70 of configuration 210 and the signal terminals 60b of configuration 210b are brought out of the sealing material 100 from a right-hand side. As illustrated in Fig. 13, on the outside of the sealing material 100, the main terminal 70 of configuration 210 and the signal terminals 60b of configuration 210b are arranged along the front-to-back direction. On the outside of the sealing material 100, the main terminal 70 is located behind the signal terminals 60b. The main terminal 70 of configuration 210 and the conductive structure 30b of configuration 210b are electrically connected by the wiring element 310, such that the main electrode 41 of the semiconductor element 40 is electrically connected at a lower side and the main electrode 42b of the semiconductor element 40b is electrically connected at an upper side. The external terminal 300 is connected to the conductive structure 30, such that the external terminal 300 and the main electrode 42 of the semiconductor element 40 are electrically connected at a lower side. A main current thus flows through the external terminal 300. For example, it can be said that the external terminal 300 is a main terminal. The external terminal 300 will also be referred to as the main terminal 300 in the following. The semiconductor device 1E, which has a configuration as described above, can form a branch circuit for one phase, which is included in an inverter circuit that drives a three-phase motor, and in which, for example, two switching elements are connected in series. For example, consider a case in which the semiconductor elements 40 and 40b each have a switching element, such as an IGBT. In this case, the main electrode 41 of the semiconductor element 40 is electrically connected on a lower side and the main electrode 42b of the semiconductor element 40b is electrically connected on an upper side, so that the switching element of the semiconductor element 40 and the switching element of the semiconductor element 40b are connected in series, and the switching element of the semiconductor element 40 and the switching element of the semiconductor element 40b, for example, form the branch circuit.In this case, a positive potential is applied to the main terminal 300, which is electrically connected to the main electrode 42 (e.g., a collector electrode) of the semiconductor element 40 on a lower side, and a negative potential is applied to the main terminal 70b, which is electrically connected to the main electrode 41b (e.g., an emitter electrode) of the semiconductor element 40b on an upper side. The main terminal 300 is also referred to as a positive terminal or a P terminal, and the main terminal 70b is also referred to as a negative terminal or an N terminal. The main terminal 70, which is electrically connected to the main electrode 41 of the semiconductor element 40 on a lower side and to the main electrode 42b of the semiconductor element 40b on an upper side, is electrically connected to any one of the U terminals, V terminals, and W terminals of the three-phase motor.The main port 70 is also referred to as an output port. Fig. 14 is a schematic top view showing an example of configuration 210, main terminal 300, and wiring element 310 illustrated in Fig. 12. Fig. 15 is a schematic bottom view showing an example of configuration 210b and wiring element 310 illustrated in Fig. 12. As illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15, the main terminals 70 and 70a of semiconductor device 1E have different shapes than the main terminals 70 of semiconductor devices 1A, 1B, and 1C. The main terminal 70 of semiconductor device 1E has a wide part 701 and a narrow part 702. The wide part 701 is connected to the main electrode 41 of semiconductor element 40 by the connecting material 92. In the main terminal 70, the narrow part 702 extends to the left from the wide part 701 and emerges from the sealing material 100. The wiring element 310 is connected to the wide part 701. The main connection 70b has the same shape as the main connection 70. The main connection 70b has a wide part 701b and a narrow part 702b. In the main connection 70b, the narrow part 702b extends to the right from the wide part 701b and is led out of the sealing material 100. In semiconductor device 1E, semiconductor element 40 and semiconductor element 40b are misaligned in the horizontal direction. Thus, in a view-through top view of semiconductor device 1E, in the vertical direction, an entire region of semiconductor element 40 and an entire region of semiconductor element 40b do not overlap, while a portion of semiconductor element 40 and a portion of semiconductor element 40b do overlap. For example, semiconductor element 40 and semiconductor element 40b are misaligned in the left-right and front-back directions. In the view-through top view of the semiconductor device 1E in the vertical direction, the unit element 50b on a top side partially overlaps the semiconductor element 40 on a bottom side, and the unit element 50 on a bottom side partially overlaps the semiconductor element 40b on a top side. The positions of the base plates 10 and 10b in the left-right and front-back directions are identical, as are the positions of the insulating substrates 20 and 20b in the left-right and front-back directions, and the positions of the conductive structures 30 and 30b in the left-right and front-back directions. Thus, in the view-through top view of the semiconductor device 1E, an entire region of the base plate 10 and an entire region of the base plate 10b overlap in the vertical direction, an entire region of the insulating substrate 20 and an entire region of the insulating substrate 20a overlap, and an entire region of the conductive structure 30 and an entire region of the conductive structure 30a overlap. In the vertical view of semiconductor device 1E, the base plates 10 and 10b can partially overlap. In the vertical view of semiconductor device 1E, the conductive structures 30 and 30a can partially overlap. In the vertical view of semiconductor device 1E, the semiconductor elements 40 and 40a can partially overlap. As described above, in semiconductor device 1E, semiconductor element 40b is located opposite (in this example, on a top side of) semiconductor element 40 with respect to signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, to which semiconductor element 40 is connected. This reduces the footprint of semiconductor device 1E compared to a case where semiconductor element 40b is located on the same side (in this example, on a bottom side of) signal terminals 60 and main terminal 70 as semiconductor element 40, allowing semiconductor elements 40 and 40b to be arranged horizontally. In the semiconductor device 1E, the length of the wiring element 310, which is connected to the conductive structure 30b and the main terminal 70, can be reduced. This is described below. A surface (also referred to as a primary surface) of the semiconductor element 40b that is connected to the conductive structure 30b is referred to as a first surface, and a surface (also referred to as a primary surface) of the semiconductor element 40b that is connected to the signal terminals 60b and the main terminal 70b is referred to as a second surface. In the semiconductor element 40b in this example, the second surface is located closer to the semiconductor element 40 (on a lower side in this example) than the first surface. The conductive structure 30b that is connected to the first surface of the semiconductor element 40b is thus located closer to the main terminal 70 than the insulating substrate 20b. Therefore, the insulating substrate 20b is less likely to be an obstruction when the wiring element 310 is connected to the conductive structure 30b and the main terminal 70.This means that the wiring element 310 is not required to avoid the insulating substrate 20b, so the length of the wiring element 310 can be reduced. In semiconductor device 1E, a plating layer can be arranged in a region of at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, in which the semiconductor element 40 is connected to the at least one of the signal terminals 60 and the main terminal 70, as in semiconductor device 1B. A plating layer can be arranged in a region of at least one of the signal terminals 60b and the main terminal 70b, in which the semiconductor element 40b is connected to the at least one of the signal terminals 60b and the main terminal 70b. In semiconductor device 1E, the unit element 50C of semiconductor device 1C can be used instead of the unit element 50, and the unit element 50C can be used instead of the unit element 50b. Although the present revelation has been described in detail, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not limiting. It is understood that numerous non-illustrated modifications can be conceived. The embodiments can be freely combined and may be modified or omitted as necessary. Reference symbol list 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D Semiconductor device, 20, 20a, 20b Insulating substrate, 30, 30a, 30b Conductive structure, 40, 40a, 40b Semiconductor element, 50, 50b, 50C Unit element, 60, 60a, 60b, 60C, 70, 300 External connection, 91, 92 Connecting material, 100 Sealing material, 110, 120 Plating layer, 160 Inner part, 161 Outer part, 310 Wiring element. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature JP 2019-220648

[0003]

Claims

Semiconductor device comprising: • a sealing material; • a first semiconductor element covered with the sealing material, the first semiconductor element having a first surface; • a first external terminal connected to the first surface; • a second external terminal located remote from the first external terminal and connected to the first surface; and • a first insulating element connecting the first external terminal and the second external terminal within the sealing material. Semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first insulating element has a portion that fills a gap between the first external terminal and the second external terminal. Semiconductor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first insulating element has a portion spanning the first external terminal and the second external terminal. Semiconductor device according to one of claims 1 to 3 further comprising a plating layer arranged in a region of the first external connection, wherein the region is connected to the first semiconductor element, wherein the plating layer has a higher wettability with a bonding material than the first external connection. Semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first external connection comprises: an inner part located within the sealing material; and an outer part located outside the sealing material; and the outer part has a part having a higher strength than at least a part of the inner part. Semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first external connection has a part which has a higher strength than at least a part of the second external connection. Semiconductor device according to one of claims 1 to 6 further comprising a second semiconductor element which is covered with the sealing material, wherein the second semiconductor element is connected to the first external connection and the second external connection on a side opposite the first semiconductor element. Semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: • the first semiconductor element has a second surface opposite the first surface; • the semiconductor device further comprises: o a first insulating substrate; o a first conductive structure arranged on the first insulating substrate and connected to the second surface; o a second semiconductor element covered with the sealing material, wherein the second semiconductor element has a third surface and a fourth surface opposite the third surface; o a third external connection connected to the third surface; o a fourth external connection arranged remotely from the third external connection and connected to the third surface; o a second insulating element connecting the third external connection and the fourth external connection within the sealing material; o a second insulating substrate;a second conductive structure arranged on the second insulating substrate and connected to the fourth surface; a wiring element connected to the second conductive structure and the second external connection; and a fifth external connection connected to the first conductive structure, the second semiconductor element being arranged relative to the first semiconductor element with respect to the first external connection and the second external connection, and the third surface being arranged closer to the first semiconductor element than the fourth surface. Method for manufacturing the semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method comprises: • preparing an element comprising the first external terminal, the second external terminal and the first insulating element connecting the first external terminal and the second external terminal; and • connecting the first external terminal and the second external terminal of the element together with the first semiconductor element.

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