Power Module

Abstract

To reduce a volume and enhance power density in a power module including a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor devices, a plurality of terminals, and a package.SOLUTION: In a power module, a substrate 2 includes a first metal surface 20, and a plurality of semiconductor devices 3 are disposed on the first metal surface 20. A terminal direction of terminals 40 to 46 is perpendicular to a bottom side of the first metal surface 20. A package covers the first metal surface 20 and the plurality of semiconductor devices 3, and partially covers the terminals 40 to 46. The terminals 40 to 46 extend along the same direction to the outside of the package, and include a positive voltage terminal 40 and a negative voltage terminal 41. An end of the positive voltage terminal 40 is attached to an intermediate position of a first lateral side 22 of the first metal surface 20. An end of the negative voltage terminal 41 is attached to an intermediate position of a second lateral side 23 of the first metal surface 20. The first lateral side 22 and the second lateral side 23 spatially face each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power module, and more particularly to a power module in which a plurality of semiconductor elements are mounted on a single substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] In the existing charging station equipment, the power conversion unit needs to use multiple TO247 structure discrete components, each of which has one MOSFET chip, and the size and power density of the discrete components are fixed.

[0003] Since the size and power density of each discrete component is fixed, equipment to meet rising power demands needs to use more discrete components simultaneously to meet high power demands compared to traditional equipment with low power demands. However, using more discrete components in an equipment increases the volume and the number of electronic components, making it more difficult to dissipate heat inside the equipment.

[0004] Therefore, there is currently an urgent need to develop a power module that can improve upon the above-mentioned conventional technology. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The objective of the present invention is to provide a power module that replaces many conventional discrete components with one power module by mounting multiple semiconductor elements on one substrate, thereby reducing the volume and increasing the power density. Furthermore, the positive and negative voltage terminals of the power module of the present invention are attached to the middle positions of the sides of the metal surface, respectively, thereby improving the structural stability of the power module and extending its service life. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the concept of the present invention, the present invention provides a power module including a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor elements, a plurality of terminals, and a package. The substrate includes a first metal surface, and the plurality of semiconductor elements are disposed on the first metal surface. The terminal direction of each terminal is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the first metal surface. The package covers the first metal surface and the plurality of semiconductor elements, partially covers each terminal, and each terminal extends out of the package along the same direction. The plurality of terminals include a positive voltage terminal and a negative voltage terminal, an end of the positive voltage terminal is attached to a middle position of a first side edge of the first metal surface, and an end of the negative voltage terminal is attached to a middle position of a second side edge of the first metal surface, and the first side edge and the second side edge are spatially opposite to each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a power module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a partial three-dimensional structure of the power module of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the power module of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating current flow when the power module of FIG. 3 receives a power supply current. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the current flow when the power module of another preferred embodiment of the present invention receives a power supply current. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the current flow when the power module of another preferred embodiment of the present invention receives a power supply current. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the power module shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Some exemplary embodiments illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can be modified in various ways in different aspects, all without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the description and drawings are illustrative in nature, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a power module 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the power module 1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the power module 1 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the power module 1 includes a substrate 2, a plurality of semiconductor elements 3, a plurality of terminals, and a package 5. In some embodiments, the semiconductor element 3 may be an active device. In practice, the active device may be a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a silicon carbide (SiC) power transistor, a gallium nitride (GaN) power transistor, a semiconductor element having a cascade structure, or other active device. The substrate 2 includes a first metal surface 20, and the plurality of semiconductor elements 3 are disposed on the first metal surface 20. In some embodiments, the number of terminals is an odd number, which is equal to or greater than three. The terminal direction of each terminal is perpendicular to the bottom side 21 of the first metal surface 20. The package 5 covers the first metal surface 20 and the semiconductor elements 3, partially covers each terminal, and each terminal extends out of the package 5 along the same direction. The terminals include a positive voltage terminal 40 and a negative voltage terminal 41, and an end 400 of the positive voltage terminal 40 is attached to a middle position of the first side 22 of the first metal surface 20 (for example, but not limited to, the middle point of the first side 22), and an end 410 of the negative voltage terminal 41 is attached to a middle position of the second side 23 of the first metal surface 20 (for example, but not limited to, the middle point of the second side 23). Since the end 400 of the positive voltage terminal 40 and the end 410 of the negative voltage terminal 41 are attached to the middle positions of the first side 22 and the second side 23, respectively, when the power module 1 is subjected to an external force during assembly, the structure of the power module 1 is relatively stable, and the reliability and service life of the power module 1 are improved. The first side 22 and the second side 23 are spatially opposed to each other and, together with the bottom side 21 of the first metal surface 20, constitute three of the four sides of the first metal surface 20. By mounting a plurality of semiconductor elements on a single substrate, the power module 1 of the present invention replaces many conventional discrete components with a single power module, thereby reducing the volume and increasing the power density.In addition, since the positive and negative voltage terminals of the power module 1 of the present invention are attached to the middle positions of the sides of the metal surface, respectively, the structural stability of the power module 1 is increased and the service life is extended.

[0010] In some embodiments, the end 400 of the positive voltage terminal 40 is disposed between the two semiconductor elements 3, and the end 410 of the negative voltage terminal 41 is disposed between the two semiconductor elements 3. Since the ends 400 and 410 of the positive voltage terminal 40 and the negative voltage terminal 41 are disposed between the two semiconductor elements 3, respectively, the heat dissipation effect of the power module 1 can be improved.

[0011] In some embodiments, the number of semiconductor elements 3 is an even number, and the power module 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 includes four semiconductor elements 3 arranged to form a matrix on the first metal surface 20. The center O of the matrix and the midpoints of the first side edge 22 and the second side edge 23 are spatially on the same horizontal line L.

[0012] In some embodiments, the multiple terminals further include a phase voltage terminal 42 disposed between the positive voltage terminal 40 and the negative voltage terminal 41. An end 420 of the phase voltage terminal 42 is attached to the first metal surface 20, and a position where the end 420 is attached to the first metal surface 20 is closer to the bottom side 21 than the horizontal line L. A first distance R1 between the phase voltage terminal 42 and the positive voltage terminal 40 is the same as a second distance R2 between the phase voltage terminal 42 and the negative voltage terminal 41.

[0013] In some embodiments, the positive voltage terminal 40, the negative voltage terminal 41, and the phase voltage terminal 42 have the same cross-sectional area and are larger than the other terminals, so that the positive voltage terminal 40, the negative voltage terminal 41, and the phase voltage terminal 42 can withstand the power supply current input from outside the power module 1.

[0014] In some embodiments, the multiple terminals further include a first gate terminal 43 and a first source terminal 44, and the first gate terminal 43 and the first source terminal 44 are disposed within a first distance R1, i.e., the first gate terminal 43 and the first source terminal 44 are located between the phase voltage terminal 42 and the positive voltage terminal 40. An end 430 of the first gate terminal 43 and an end 440 of the first source terminal 44 are adjacent to the bottom side 21 of the first metal surface 20 (adjacent here means close but not in contact), and are electrically connected to the first metal surface 20 through at least one bonding wire 6. Of the multiple bonding wires 6 of the present invention, some of the bonding wires 6 are used for signal transmission, and some of the bonding wires 6 are used for power transmission. In some embodiments, the signal of the bonding wire 6 is provided by the semiconductor element 3 on the first metal surface 20. The package 5 covers the end 430 of the first gate terminal 43 and the end 440 of the first source terminal 44. In order to simplify the drawings, only some of the bonding wires 6 are labeled with reference numerals in the drawings.

[0015] In some embodiments, the plurality of terminals further includes a second gate terminal 45 and a second source terminal 46, and the second gate terminal 45 and the second source terminal 46 are disposed within a second distance R2, i.e., the second gate terminal 45 and the second source terminal 46 are located between the phase voltage terminal 42 and the negative voltage terminal 41. An end 450 of the second gate terminal 45 and an end 460 of the second source terminal 46 are adjacent to the bottom side 21 of the first metal surface 20 (adjacent here means close but not in contact), and are electrically connected to the first metal surface 20 via at least one bonding wire 6. In some embodiments, the signal of the bonding wire 6 is provided by the semiconductor element 3 on the first metal surface 20. The package 5 covers the end 450 of the second gate terminal 45 and the end 460 of the second source terminal 46.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a current flow when the power module 1 of FIG. 3 receives a power supply current. Each semiconductor element 3 is electrically connected to the first metal surface 20 via at least one bonding wire 6. In FIG. 4, the solid arrow direction represents the direction in which the power supply current flows into and out of the power module 1 via the positive voltage terminal 40 and the phase voltage terminal 42, respectively. When the positive voltage terminal 40 receives the power supply current, the power supply current flows through the first metal surface 20 and at least one bonding wire 6, through the semiconductor element 3 farther than the horizontal line L (i.e., the semiconductor element 3 on the side different from the bottom side 21 with respect to the horizontal line L), and then flows out of the power module 1 via the phase voltage terminal 42.

[0017] The terminal installation position of the power module of the present invention is not limited to the power module 1 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 5, the difference between the power module 1 shown in FIG. 5 and the power module 1 shown in FIG. 4 is that the terminal installation positions of the present embodiment are different. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the negative voltage terminal 41 is installed between the phase voltage terminal 42 and the positive voltage terminal 40, the second gate terminal 45 and the second source terminal 46 are located between the positive voltage terminal 40 and the negative voltage terminal 41, and the first gate terminal 43 and the first source terminal 44 are located between the negative voltage terminal 41 and the phase voltage terminal 42. In FIG. 5, the direction of the solid line arrow indicates the direction in which the power supply current flows into and out of the power module 1 via the positive voltage terminal 40 and the phase voltage terminal 42, respectively. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the power supply current flows through the semiconductor element 3 farther than the horizontal line L, and then flows out of the power module 1 via the phase voltage terminal 42.

[0018] In some embodiments, the power supply current can flow into the power module 1 through the phase voltage terminals 42 and through the semiconductor elements 3 closer to the horizontal line L (i.e., the semiconductor elements 3 on the same side as the bottom side 21 with respect to the horizontal line L). The embodiments in which the power supply current flows into the power module 1 through the phase voltage terminals 42 are illustrated and described in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, respectively.

[0019] 4 and 5, the directions of the white arrows in Fig. 4 and 5 indicate the directions in which the power supply current flows into and out of the power module 1 via the phase voltage terminal 42 and the negative voltage terminal 41. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, when the phase voltage terminal 42 receives the power supply current, the power supply current flows through the first metal surface 20 and at least one bonding wire 6, through the semiconductor element 3 closer than the horizontal line L, and then flows out of the power module 1 via the negative voltage terminal 41.

[0020] The connection manner of the bonding wire 6 on the first metal surface 20 of the power module of the present invention is not limited to the power module 1 shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Referring to Figure 6, the only difference between the power module 1 shown in Figure 6 and the power module 1 shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 is that the connection manner of the bonding wire 6 in this embodiment is different. In different embodiments, the connection manner of the bonding wire 6 differs depending on the arrangement relationship between the semiconductor element 3 and the multiple terminals.

[0021] 1, in some embodiments, the package 5 has removable top and bottom sealants 50, 51, and two fastening parts 52. In some embodiments, the top and bottom sealants 50, 51 are integrally formed and are injection molded epoxy, and the top and bottom sealants 50, 51 form the package 5. In some other embodiments, after the top and bottom sealants 50, 51 form the package 5, they are secured together by two fastening parts 52, which may be, for example, but are not limited to, locking screws.

[0022] Please refer to Fig. 7, which is a cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the power module 1 of Fig. 1. The substrate 2 of the present invention further includes a thermally conductive insulating plate 24 and a second metal surface 25, the thermally conductive insulating plate 24 has a first surface 240 and a second surface 241 opposite to each other, the first metal surface 20 is attached to the first surface 240 of the thermally conductive insulating plate 24, and the second metal surface 25 is attached to the second surface 241 of the thermally conductive insulating plate 24 and exposed from the package 5. In some embodiments, the package 5 is made of epoxy resin.

[0023] As described above, the present invention provides a power module that replaces many conventional discrete components with one power module by mounting multiple semiconductor elements on one substrate, thereby reducing the volume and increasing the power density. In addition, the positive and negative voltage terminals of the power module of the present invention are attached to the middle positions of the sides of the metal surface, respectively, thereby improving the structural stability and extending the service life of the power module, and the ends of the positive and negative voltage terminals are mounted between the two semiconductor elements, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the power module.

[0024] It should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments proposed to explain the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the patent application. The present invention can be modified by those skilled in the art, but it does not deviate from the scope defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1: Power module 2: Substrate 20: 1st metal surface 21: Bottom 22: 1st side 23:Second side 24: Thermally conductive insulating plate 240: 1st page 241:Second side 25:Second metal surface 3: Semiconductor elements 40: Positive voltage terminal 41: Negative voltage terminal 400, 410: Terminal 42: Phase voltage terminal 420:Terminal 43: First gate terminal 44: First source terminal 430, 440: Terminal 45: Second gate terminal 46: Second source terminal 450, 460: terminal 5:Package 50: Top sealant 51: Lower sealant 52: Fixed parts 6: Bonding wire O: Center of the Matrix L: Horizontal line R1: First distance R2: 2nd distance

Claims

1. A power module including a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor elements, a plurality of terminals, and a package, the substrate includes a first metal surface; the plurality of semiconductor elements are disposed on the first metal surface; a terminal direction of each of the terminals is perpendicular to a bottom side of the first metal surface; the package covers the first metal surface, the semiconductor devices, and partially covers each of the terminals, each of the terminals extending out of the package along the same direction; a power module, the plurality of terminals including a positive voltage terminal and a negative voltage terminal, an end of the positive voltage terminal being attached to a middle position of a first side edge of the first metal surface, and an end of the negative voltage terminal being attached to a middle position of a second side edge of the first metal surface, the first side edge and the second side edge being spatially opposed to each other.

2. the number of the semiconductor elements is an even number, and the semiconductor elements are arranged to form a matrix on the first metal surface; The power module of claim 1 , wherein the center of the matrix, a midpoint of a first side edge of the first metal surface, and a midpoint of a second side edge of the first metal surface are spatially on the same horizontal line.

3. the plurality of terminals further includes a phase voltage terminal disposed between the positive voltage terminal and the negative voltage terminal; The power module according to claim 2 , wherein an end of the phase voltage terminal is attached to the first metal surface at a position closer to the bottom side than to the horizontal line.

4. 4. The power module of claim 3, wherein a first distance between the phase voltage terminal and the positive voltage terminal is the same as a second distance between the phase voltage terminal and the negative voltage terminal.

5. the plurality of terminals further includes a first gate terminal and a first source terminal disposed within the first distance; an end of the first gate terminal and an end of the first source terminal adjacent to the bottom side of the first metal surface, the end of the first gate terminal and the end of the first source terminal being electrically connected to the first metal surface via at least one bonding wire; The power module of claim 4 , wherein the package covers ends of the first gate terminal and the first source terminal.

6. the plurality of terminals further includes a second gate terminal and a second source terminal disposed within the second distance; an end of the second gate terminal and an end of the second source terminal adjacent to the bottom side of the first metal surface, the end of the second gate terminal and the end of the second source terminal being electrically connected to the first metal surface via at least one bonding wire; The power module of claim 4 , wherein the package covers ends of the second gate terminal and the second source terminal.

7. Each of the semiconductor elements is electrically connected to the first metal surface via at least one bonding wire; 4. The power module of claim 3, wherein when the positive voltage terminal receives a power supply current, the power supply current flows through the first metal surface and the at least one bonding wire to the semiconductor element further from the horizontal line.

8. 8. The power module according to claim 7, wherein the power supply current flows through the semiconductor element farther than the horizontal line, and then flows out of the power module via the phase voltage terminal.

9. 8. The power module according to claim 7, wherein the power supply current flows through the semiconductor element farther than the horizontal line, and then flows out of the power module via the negative voltage terminal.

10. when the negative voltage terminal receives the power supply current, the power supply current flows through the first metal surface and the at least one bonding wire through the semiconductor element closer to the horizontal line; 8. The power module according to claim 7, wherein the power supply current flows through the semiconductor element closer than the horizontal line, and then flows out of the power module via the phase voltage terminal.

11. When the phase voltage terminal receives the power supply current, the power supply current flows through the first metal surface and the at least one bonding wire, and through the semiconductor element closer to the horizontal line; 8. The power module according to claim 7, wherein the power supply current flows through the semiconductor element closer than the horizontal line, and then flows out of the power module via the negative voltage terminal.

12. The power module according to claim 3 , wherein the positive voltage terminal, the negative voltage terminal, and the phase voltage terminal have a cross-sectional area larger than that of the other terminals.

13. The power module according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the plurality of terminals is an odd number, 3 or more.

14. the substrate further comprises a thermally conductive insulating plate and a second metal surface; 2. The power module of claim 1, wherein the first metal surface is attached to a first surface of the thermally conductive insulating plate, the second metal surface is attached to a second surface of the thermally conductive insulating plate, the first surface and the second surface are opposed to each other, and the second metal surface is exposed from the package.

15. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the package is made of epoxy resin.

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