Sintered Power Semiconductor Module with Integrated Temperature Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current power semiconductor modules face challenges in efficiently integrating temperature sensors with active components due to large groove widths in substrates, leading to thermal insulation, reduced current carrying capacity, and increased manufacturing costs, as well as the need for additional manufacturing steps and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
Mounting temperature sensors directly on power semiconductors using sintering techniques with highly conductive silver and ceramic insulation, ensuring close thermal contact and electrical isolation, and allowing for efficient thermal path for temperature detection and fast response to overheating situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If temperature sensors are mounted using traditional methods (gluing, soldering) on substrates with etched grooves, then the components can be electrically connected, but the groove width causes thermal insulation, reducing temperature detection accuracy and response speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temperature sensor mounting with the power semiconductor mounting process by using sintering technology. Both the power semiconductor and temperature sensor are simultaneously sintered onto the substrate, eliminating the need for separate mounting steps and ensuring optimal thermal contact for accurate temperature detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical mounting methods (gluing, soldering) with sintering technology. This substitution enables direct metallurgical bonding between the temperature sensor, power semiconductor, and substrate, ensuring excellent thermal and electrical contact while eliminating the thermal insulation problem caused by grooves.
2Reliability
If circumferential end cover metallisations of SMD-components are used, then electrical contact is achieved, but current carrying cross-section and heat dissipation ability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional circumferential metallisation of SMD-components to a three-dimensional sintered metallurgical bond. The sintering process creates extensive contact areas through porous metallisation layers that bond at multiple points, increasing both electrical contact reliability and current carrying capacity without being constrained by surface geometry.
3Reliability
If power semiconductors and passive components are mounted in separate manufacturing steps, then each component can be optimally mounted, but manufacturing costs and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mounting of power semiconductors and passive components (including temperature sensors) into a single sintering process step. This merging of operations maintains optimal mounting quality for each component type while dramatically improving manufacturing efficiency by eliminating multiple processing steps, reducing cycle time, and lowering energy consumption.
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 approach enables faster detection of limit temperatures, reduces thermal insulation, maintains high current carrying capacity, and decreases manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for additional steps and energy-intensive processes.
Implementation Method 1
at least one power semiconductor with at least one temperature sensor is mounted on a substrate by means of the sintering technique
Implementation Method 2
ensuring close thermal contact and electrical isolation, and allowing for efficient thermal path for temperature detection
Implementation Method 3
using sintering techniques with highly conductive silver and ceramic insulation, ensuring close thermal contact and electrical isolation
Data Source
AI summary
Method of manufacturing sinterable electrical components for jointly sintering with active components, the components in planar shape being provided with at least one planar lower face meant for sintering, and an electrical contact area on the face opposite to the sintering face being available in the form of a metallic contact face, whose upper side is contactable by means of a commonly known method of the group: wire bonding or soldering or sintering or pressure contacting, the component being a temperature sensor, whose lower face is provided with a sinterable metallization on a ceramic body, said ceramic body having two electrical contact faces for continued electrical connection.