Wire Bonds Over Active Region for Thermal Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor power devices face challenges in managing heat at their active regions, leading to high junction temperatures, which limits their operation to lower power configurations and reduces reliability.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves attaching electrical conductors, such as wire or ribbons, directly to the metallization over the active region of the semiconductor power device, creating additional thermal paths to a base plate for effective thermal management, allowing the device to operate at higher power configurations while maintaining safe junction temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If electrical conductors are attached to metallization directly over the active region, then thermal management is improved and junction temperature is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical conductors (wire or ribbon bonds) serve dual functions: they provide electrical connection between the metallization and external circuitry, and simultaneously act as thermal conduction paths to remove heat from the active region. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by improving thermal management without requiring separate dedicated thermal components, thus avoiding excessive increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallization layer directly over the active region serves as an intermediary that facilitates heat transfer from the active region to the electrical conductors. This intermediary structure enables efficient thermal coupling between the heat-generating active region and the heat-sinking electrical conductors, effectively reducing junction temperature while maintaining a relatively simple device architecture.
2Loss of energy
If additional thermal paths are created to the base plate, then heat dissipation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical conductors perform both electrical connection and thermal conduction functions simultaneously. By utilizing the existing electrical connection structure for dual purposes, the invention creates additional thermal paths without requiring separate manufacturing processes for dedicated thermal management components, thus improving heat dissipation while minimizing impact on manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the electrical connection function and thermal conduction function into a single integrated structure (the electrical conductors). This consolidation eliminates the need for separate thermal management components and their associated manufacturing steps, thereby creating effective thermal paths while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
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 reduces thermal impedance and junction temperatures, enabling semiconductor power devices to operate safely and efficiently at higher power levels by enhancing heat dissipation through additional thermal paths.
Implementation Method 1
The electrical conductors attached to metallization over the active region produces additional thermal paths to the base plate for thermal management of the semiconductor power die
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor power device including a base plate; an input lead; an output lead; a field effect transistor (FET) power die disposed over the base plate, wherein the FET power die includes a set of source fingers, a set of drain fingers, and a set of gate fingers disposed directly over an active region, wherein the gate fingers are configured to receive an input signal from the input lead, and wherein the FET power die is configured to process the input signal to generate an output signal at the drain fingers for routing to the output lead; and electrical conductors (wirebonds or ribbons) bonded to the source and/or drain directly over the active region of the FET power die. The electrical conductors produce additional thermal paths between the active region and the base plate for thermal management of the FET power die.