Hermetic Semiconductor Package with Integrated Coolant Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor packages face increased thermal impedance when using thermal interface materials instead of direct metal bonding, leading to degraded heat dissipation, and are vulnerable to catastrophic failures due to coolant leakage when seals or gaskets fail.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor package with a metallic enclosure that is hermetically sealed, eliminating the need for gaskets or seals, and featuring a coolant chamber for direct coolant circulation over the metallic base, which is thermally conductive and resistant to coolant ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If thermal interface material is used to connect semiconductor package to cold plate, then ease of assembly is improved, but thermal impedance increases and heat dissipation degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the thermal interface material from the heat dissipation path between the semiconductor device and cold plate. By extracting this problematic intermediate layer, the invention achieves direct metal-to-metal thermal contact, eliminating the thermal impedance introduced by thermal interface materials while maintaining ease of assembly through the sealed enclosure design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the semiconductor package housing with the thermal management function by integrating the coolant circulation chamber directly into the package structure. The metallic enclosure serves dual purposes: providing hermetic sealing and facilitating direct thermal contact with the cold plate, thereby combining structural and thermal management functions.
2Reliability
If seals or gaskets are used to bound coolant volumes, then coolant containment is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to leakage vulnerability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates seals and gaskets from the coolant containment system. By removing these vulnerable components entirely, the invention achieves coolant containment through the hermetically sealed metallic enclosure structure itself, which provides leakage-free containment without relying on seal elements that can degrade or fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a hermetically sealed metallic enclosure that integrates structural support and coolant containment functions. The metallic construction provides both mechanical strength and impermeability to coolant, creating a composite structure that achieves reliable containment without separate sealing components.
3Temperature
If direct metal bonding is used instead of thermal interface material, then thermal impedance is reduced and heat dissipation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the package housing and thermal management functions into a single integrated metallic enclosure structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate thermal interface materials and complex assembly steps, achieving direct metal-to-metal thermal contact while simplifying manufacturing through reduced component count and assembly operations.
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 enhances thermal dissipation without the risk of coolant ingress, allowing for higher power handling and reliability in semiconductor devices, such as electric motor controllers, by maintaining a sealed environment and reducing thermal impedance.
Implementation Method 1
a metallic base on an exterior side... thermally conductive and resistant to coolant ingress
Implementation Method 2
A sealed (e.g. hermetically sealed or hydraulically sealed) metallic enclosure holds the semiconductor switch module
Data Source
AI summary
A package for a semiconductor device or circuit comprises a semiconductor switch module having a metallic base on an exterior side and metallic pads. A sealed metallic enclosure holds the semiconductor switch module. The metallic enclosure has a set of dielectric regions with embedded or pass-through electrical terminals that are electrically insulated or isolated from the sealed metallic enclosure. The electrical terminals are electrically connected to the metallic pads. A housing is adapted for housing the semiconductor switch module within the metallic enclosure. The housing comprises chamber for holding or circulating a coolant overlying the metallic base.