The invention relates to a power semiconductor module having a substrate, on the top side of which at least one semiconductor component is arranged and the underside of which can be pressed onto a cooling element for the purpose of dissipating heat, and having a plurality of contact pressure elements which exert mechanical pressure on various substrate locations in the direction of the cooling element, the contact pressure elements being formed as integral parts of a housing and acting in a resilient manner on the substrate locations.
DE 101 42 971 A1 describes a power semiconductor module containing a ceramic substrate which is fitted with semiconductor components. The semiconductor components are contact-connected to interconnects on the top side of the substrate, said interconnects leading, inter alia, to contact pins for externally connecting the module.
The underside of the substrate is copper-coated and functions as a heat-dissipating contact area in order to be able to dissipate power losses—which occur in the form of heat—to a heat sink or a cooling element during operation of the semiconductor components.
The substrate is surrounded by a (plastic) module housing and is pressed onto the heat sink by means of screw connections, for example. Continuous area contact (which is free of air inclusions) between the underside of the substrate and the heat sink is desirable for optimum heat dissipation. However, as a result of the high-temperature production process, the substrate is subject to internal mechanical stresses on account of different coefficients of expansion of the conductor (e.g. copper) and the substrate (e.g. ceramic). These mechanical stresses may also be intensified by subsequent production steps (e.g. soldering operations). As a result, curvature of the substrate often cannot be avoided, with the result that the contact area for the heat sink is not planar.
In order to counteract this problem, external or housing-internal pressure stamps are provided in the module disclosed in DE 101 42 971 A1, said pressure stamps transmitting externally applied pressure to various points or locations of the substrate in order to press the substrate, as uniformly as possible, onto the heat sink. This is assisted by the substrate being advantageously subdivided into a plurality of cohesive substrate regions which can be moved relative to one another to a limited extent.
However, substrates having a relatively large areal extent, in particular, are extremely sensitive to the individual contact pressure force that is acceptable at the individual locations. DE 101 49 886 A1 therefore followed the route of connecting the contact pressure elements to the housing in a resilient manner in order to be able to set the pressing-on pressure in an improved manner using the spring forces.
In this case, however, it proves to be problematic, in the case of a relatively large number of individual contact pressure elements, to use the latter to uniformly apply pressure, particularly in the central inner region of the substrate. If an excessively high external force is applied, this leads to locally excessive pressing-on with excessive pressure and to the risk of the brittle ceramic breaking. If, in contrast, the contact pressure force is selected to be excessively low overall in order to avoid damage to the substrate, regions remain which are not in contact with the heat sink. In the case of an external force which is introduced via the module housing, for example, component tolerances additionally have a disadvantageous effect since they may lead to pressure being applied to the individual substrate locations to differing degrees.
Therefore, the present invention is based on the object of developing a power semiconductor module of the type mentioned initially to the effect that uniform area contact between the underside of the substrate and the cooling element can be realized in a cost-effective manner, the individual operations of applying pressure to the individual substrate locations being essentially the same and not being influenced by component tolerances.
According to the invention, this object is achieved, in the case of a power semiconductor module of the type mentioned initially, by virtue of the fact that the contact pressure elements are integrally formed on a first housing part which can be moved relative to a second housing part, and the second housing part has spacer elements which define a bearing area for the first housing part at a fixed distance from the substrate.
A first fundamental aspect of the invention is thus that the individual contact pressure forces are applied to the substrate locations (to which said forces are to be applied) via individually flexible, i.e. elastic, resilient elements. The spring movement provided makes it possible to compensate for spacing tolerances and component tolerances. A contact pressure force which is adequate for area contact is thus advantageously applied to the respective substrate location without the risk of the substrate being destroyed—at least within wide tolerance ranges.
One aspect of the invention which is important in terms of production technology is that the contact pressure elements are formed as integral parts of a module housing. This has the advantage that the contact pressure elements can be produced with the housing and can be easily installed with the latter.
A final fundamental aspect of the invention is finally that the distance between the first housing part (which comprises the spacer elements) and the substrate is firmly defined and complied with by the second housing part, with the result that the distance is not shortened as a result of tolerances of the module housing, which could lead to a high pressing-on pressure until the substrate is destroyed.
One refinement of the invention which is advantageous in terms of design and production technology provides for the contact pressure elements to be in the form of webs or stamps and thus to produce a particularly precisely defined contact pressure.
In this case, the resilient regions are preferably formed from housing regions or regions of the contact pressure elements having material recesses or thinned sections of material.
As regards the installation and the production of the module according to the invention, provision is preferably made for the module housing to have regions for mechanical connection to the cooling element only on two opposite sides. These connections which are implemented, for example, in the form of a screw fixing are used to produce, via the housing, the contact pressure force which acts on the individual substrate locations via the individual resilient contact pressure elements which are provided according to the invention and have a contact pressure force that can be individually varied (depending on the spring movement or spring excursion).
A structural height—which is dimensioned within narrow tolerances—of a module is often required, so that contact pins which emerge, for example, from the top side of the module are at a prescribed distance from stop areas on the module (for example for a mounting board). This is ensured in a simple manner according to this refinement of the invention, with deformation or displacement (which is subject to tolerances) of the contact pressure elements and of the first housing part not having any effect on the second housing part and thus on the bearing area(s).
The present invention can be used particularly advantageously to supplement the refinement (described in DE 101 42 971 A1) of a substrate in the form of substrate regions which are cohesive but can be moved relative to one another within limits.
The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the figures of the drawing, in which:
To this end, a plurality of individual contact pressure elements 16, 17, 18, 19 which are in the form of webs or stamps are provided. The free ends 16a, 17a, 18a, 19a of the contact pressure elements come into contact with the contact pressure locations 10, 11, 12, 13 during further installation (as also described below).
The substrate and the semiconductor components are surrounded by a plastic housing 20 which is formed from two housing parts 21, 22. The first housing part 21 has lateral flanges 21a, 21b each having a hole for a screw connection to the cooling element (not illustrated). The contact pressure elements 16, 17, 18, 19 are integrally formed on the housing part 21 as integral parts and were preferably formed together with the housing part in the joint injection molding process, with the result that their other ends 16b, 17b, 18b, 19b are connected to the housing part 21.
It has been found that it is problematic to apply a common external force for subjecting all of the substrate locations to a uniform contact pressure. As a result of component tolerances or substrate regions which are not planar, locally excessive compressive forces could arise and could result in destruction of the substrate.
Provision is therefore made for the contact pressure elements 16, 17, 18, 19 to act on the contact pressure locations 10, 11, 12, 13 in a resilient manner. To this end, the ends 16b, 17b, 18b, 19b of the contact pressure elements may be connected to the housing part 21 via regions 23, 24, 25, 26 having a thinned section of material or material recesses. However, it is likewise conceivable for the contact pressure elements themselves to be provided with a spring or to be of spring-elastic design.
This refinement which is shown in detail in
In other words: elastic deformation gives rise to a measured contact pressure force which is reduced, if necessary, and is transmitted to the substrate. The pressing-on force Fscrew (
As
As
As
For the purposes of installation, the housing parts 21, 22 are connected to the cooling element (not illustrated) by means of screws (not shown); these screw connections produce the forces designated Fscrew in
The module which is shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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DE 103 26 176.1 | Jun 2003 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation of co-pending International Application No. PCT/EP2004/003375 filed Mar. 31, 2004, which designates the United States of America, and claims priority to German application number DE 103 26 176.1 filed Jun. 10, 2003, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP04/03375 | Mar 2004 | US |
Child | 11297980 | Dec 2005 | US |