Converter Heat Sink Assembly With Insulating Thermal Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for power converters in vehicles require complex and costly processes like soldering or sintering for connecting semiconductors to heat sinks, and lack efficient thermal management, leading to potential overheating issues and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a heat sink and semiconductor connected via an insulating layer containing polymer with ceramic particles, which provides mechanical and thermal bonding while ensuring electrical insulation, eliminating the need for soldering and allowing for effective heat dissipation through a heat discharging structure like fins, and optionally using multiple semiconductors for enhanced cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering or sintering processes are used to connect semiconductors to heat sinks, then reliable electrical and thermal connection is achieved, but production costs increase and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an insulating layer as an intermediary component between the semiconductor and heat sink. This layer performs dual functions: providing electrical insulation to prevent short circuits while maintaining thermal conduction through ceramic particles. This eliminates the need for complex soldering or sintering processes, thereby reducing production costs and manufacturing complexity while maintaining connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating layer is made from composite material containing ceramic particles (such as aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride) dispersed in a polymer matrix. The ceramic particles provide high thermal conductivity pathways while the polymer provides electrical insulation and mechanical flexibility. This composite structure enables simultaneous achievement of thermal conduction and electrical insulation without requiring expensive specialized processes
2Reliability
If soldering or sintering processes are used to connect semiconductors to heat sinks, then reliable thermal connection is achieved, but assembly process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layer serves as a pre-fabricated intermediary component that integrates both insulation and thermal conduction functions. It can be attached to the heat sink using simple adhesive bonding or mechanical attachment methods, eliminating the need for complex multi-step soldering or sintering assemblies. This reduces assembly process complexity while maintaining reliable thermal connection through the ceramic particle network
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the connection interface by using polymer-ceramic composite with tailored thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity properties. This allows the insulating layer to be bonded using conventional low-temperature adhesive processes rather than high-temperature soldering or sintering, thereby simplifying the assembly process while maintaining reliable thermal and electrical performance
3Reliability
If conventional insulating materials are used between semiconductor and heat sink, then electrical insulation is achieved, but thermal conduction is insufficient leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layer uses composite material with ceramic particles (aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, or silicon carbide) embedded in a polymer matrix. The ceramic particles have high thermal conductivity while the polymer provides electrical insulation. This composite structure creates thermal conduction pathways through the ceramic particles while maintaining overall electrical insulation, thereby solving the contradiction between insulation and heat dissipation
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating layer exhibits local quality variation where ceramic particles are distributed throughout the polymer matrix to create localized high-conductivity pathways. This allows different regions of the material to serve different functions: ceramic-rich regions provide thermal conduction while the polymer matrix provides electrical insulation. This local differentiation enables simultaneous achievement of both electrical insulation and effective thermal management
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces production costs, simplifies assembly, and enhances thermal management, enabling reliable and durable connections while maintaining electrical insulation, thus preventing overheating and improving cooling efficiency while occupying less space.
Implementation Method 1
an insulating layer (210) containing a polymer with ceramic particles, which is placed between the connecting surface (230) on the heat sink (200) and the discharge surface (235) of the semiconductor (205), wherein the insulating layer (210) connects the heat sink (200) and the semiconductor (205) to one another in a material bonded, thermally conductive and electrically insulating manner
Implementation Method 2
The heat discharging structure on the heat sink can contain numerous fins, for example, through which heat can be released into the environment surrounding the heat sink
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for a power converter for a vehicle includes a heat sink having a heat discharging structure on a first side for discharging heat acting on the heat sink, and a connecting surface on the second side opposite the first side for absorbing heat from a semiconductor connected to the connecting surface, wherein the semiconductor has a discharge surface for discharging heat to the connecting surface, and an insulating layer having a polymer with ceramic particles that is located between the connecting surface on the heat sink and the discharge surface on the semiconductor, and is designed to mechanically and thermally connect the heat sink to the semiconductor and to insulate them from one another.