Fuse-First Plate Wiring in Power Conversion Modules
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power conversion devices face increased costs due to the need for high-performance fuses that fuse before semiconductor element wire wiring members, and methods to reduce costs by increasing wire wiring members lead to higher manufacturing times and chip size, worsening yield and overall cost.
Innovation Solution
A power conversion device with a fuse connected in series to a semiconductor element, where the fuse fuses before plate-form wiring members, and is sealed with a sealing resin, ensuring the fuse's fusion time is shorter than the wiring members', preventing heat damage and using low-cost components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a high-performance fuse with short fusing time is used to protect the wire wiring member, then the wire wiring member is protected from fusion and arc generation, but the cost of the power conversion device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using a fuse that is intentionally designed to be sacrificial - it fuses quickly to protect the more expensive wire wiring member and semiconductor elements. The fuse is a disposable component that absorbs the harm of overcurrent events, preventing damage to critical components while being replaced rather than repaired.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse acts as an intermediary protective element between the power source and the wire wiring member. It mediates the overcurrent protection function, separating the protection mechanism from the components being protected, allowing the wire wiring member to focus on its primary function while the fuse handles abnormal conditions.
2Ease of manufacture
If the number of wire wiring members is increased to use a low-cost fuse with long fusing time, then the fuse cost is reduced, but the semiconductor element fabrication time increases and yield worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protection function from the wiring structure by introducing a dedicated fuse component. This allows the wire wiring member configuration to be optimized for electrical performance without being constrained by the need for excessive redundancy to achieve long fusing times, thereby reducing fabrication complexity and time.
3Ease of manufacture
If the number of wire wiring members is increased to use a low-cost fuse with long fusing time, then the fuse cost is reduced, but the chip size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time-extending function from the wire wiring member structure and relocates it to the fuse component. This allows the wire wiring members to be minimized to the essential number needed for electrical connection, reducing the area required on the semiconductor chip while the fuse provides the necessary time margin independently.
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
Prevents heat damage to the resin periphery of semiconductor elements by interrupting current and voltage, reducing costs through the use of low-cost fuses and wiring members without increasing manufacturing time or chip size.
Implementation Method 1
a fusion time of the fuse is shorter than a fusion time of the plate-form wiring member
Implementation Method 2
configured by the semiconductor chip and the plate-form wiring member being sealed using a sealing resin
Data Source
AI summary
A power conversion device includes a fuse connected to an input power supply, and semiconductor elements connected in series to the input power supply via the fuse, wherein the semiconductor elements have a semiconductor chip, which has an electrode on an upper face thereof, and plate-form wiring members, which are mounted on the electrode and are formed of a plate-form conductor through which current passing through the fuse flows, and are configured by the semiconductor chip and the plate-form wiring members being sealed using a sealing resin, and a fusion time of the fuse is shorter than a fusion time of the plate-form wiring members.