POWER MODULE WITH LAMINAR INTERCONNECT
A power module includes a substrate that includes an upper layer, an electrical insulator and a thermal coupling layer. The upper layer includes an electrically conductive pattern and is configured for receiving power devices. The electrical insulator is disposed between the upper layer and the thermal coupling layer. The thermal coupling layer is configured for thermal coupling to a heat sink. The power module further includes at least one laminar interconnect that includes first and second electrically conductive layers and an insulating layer disposed between the first and second electrically conductive layers. The first electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect is electrically connected to the upper layer of the substrate. Electrical connections connect a top side of the power devices to the second electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect.
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This application is related to commonly assigned, copending US patent application entitled “Heat sink with microchannel cooling for power devices,” Stevanovic et al., corresponding to GE docket number 155805 filed concurrently herewith, which patent application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe invention relates generally to power modules and, more particularly, to low inductance power modules for high power electronic applications.
Modern power semiconductor switches, such as silicon Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), are capable of switching at much higher frequencies than earlier designs. Their lower switching losses enable new applications requiring high frequency power conversion. However, inherent to these faster switching transitions are problems associated with the high parasitic inductance of conventional packaging technologies. In particular, the voltage overshoot that occurs when a power device is switched off is proportional to the product of the parasitic inductance and the slope of the IGBT current during the switching. Because of the faster switching transitions of the new IGBTs, reducing the parasitic inductance is more critical for the new generation of power devices, to avoid excessive voltage overshoots when switching the devices off. For example, a converter operating at 500V DC bus with a 50 nH parasitic inductance and a relatively fast switching transition of 5 A/ns would lead to a 50% voltage overshoot.
A conventional power module with screw type power terminals is shown in
There have been previous attempts to design a low inductance power module. For example, Mourick et al., “750 A, 75 V MOSFET Power Module with Sub-nH Inductance,” Sep. 2, 2002, IEEE, Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs, describe a low inductance multi-chip interconnect featuring a number of conductive webs that enable three-dimensional interleaving with power devices. During each switching transition, opposing magnetic fields are created by the currents through the power devices and by the currents in the conductive webs. The opposing magnetic fields cancel, resulting in a 2 nH parasitic inductance for the interconnect. However, Mourick et al. fail to address the design of a low parasitic inductance interconnect at the module and converter level. Other shortcomings of this design include the increased cost due to the addition of conductive webs, as well as the overall complexity of the module assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,579, Arai et al., entitled “Semiconductor device having low floating inductance,” addresses device and substrate layout of a power module. However, Arai et al. feature a pair of conventional power terminals that keep the module inductance high. In addition, the layout is not symmetrical, which can lead to problems with dynamic and static current sharing between parallel power device die.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,312, Bayerer et al., entitled “Low-Inductance Power Semiconductor Module,” vaguely describes a low-inductance dual power module built on two-sides of a liquid-cooled heat sink, and there are several aspects of this design that make it impractical. For example, FIG. 2 of Bayerer et al. indicates an asymmetrical layout of the phase-leg, with devices on one side of the heat sink presumably mounted with collector/drain/cathode down, and with devices on the other side being flip-mounted with emitter/source/anode down. In addition, soldering of power devices to a double-sided heat sink is less practical and may require the use of multiple solders having different melting temperatures. Moreover, the module uses a mid-point power terminal to connect devices from one side of the heat sink to the other. This connection would invariably lead to high parasitic inductance, adding to the total phase-leg inductance.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a low inductance power module for use in packaging power devices. It would further be desirable to develop low inductance phase leg modules, and a modular three-phase inverter with low parasitic inductance. It would further be desirable to reduce the contribution to the parasitic inductance associated with the power terminal leads and to provide for static and dynamic current sharing between parallel power devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONBriefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a power module is described. The power module includes at least one substrate that includes an upper layer, an electrical insulator and a thermal coupling layer. The upper layer includes at least one electrically conductive pattern and is configured for receiving at least one power device. The electrical insulator is disposed between the upper layer and the thermal coupling layer. The thermal coupling layer is configured for thermal conduction to a heat sink. The power module further includes at least one laminar interconnect that includes a first electrically conductive layer, an insulating layer and a second electrically conductive layer. The insulating layer is disposed between the first and second electrically conductive layers, and the first electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect is electrically connected to the upper layer of the substrate. Electrical connections connect a top side of the at least one power device to the second electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a power module assembly is described. The power module assembly includes a number of power modules, a number of receptacles configured to receive the laminar interconnects of respective ones of the power modules, and a back plane. The back plane includes a positive direct current (DC) power bus layer, an output layer, and a negative DC power bus layer. The receptacles are mounted on the back plane.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a modular phase leg assembly is described. The modular phase leg assembly includes two power modules, and each of the power modules includes a heat sink, a substrate attached to the heat sink, and at least one switch that includes at least one transistor and at least one anti-parallel diode and is mounted on the electrically conductive pattern of the upper layer of the substrate. Each of the power modules further includes a housing, encasing the substrate and at least one switch, and a laminar interconnect. The first electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect is electrically connected to the upper layer of the substrate. Electrical connections connect an anode of the at least one anti-parallel diode to the second electrically conductive layer of the laminar interconnect.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a modular three-phase inverter assembly is described. The modular three-phase inverter assembly includes six power modules, a number of receptacles configured to receive the laminar interconnects of respective ones of the power modules, and a back plane. The receptacles are mounted on the back plane. The power modules are arranged in three pairs, and each of the pairs corresponds to a phase leg.
DRAWINGSThese and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
A single switch power module 10 embodiment of the invention is described with reference to
As used herein, the phrase “upper layer 16” includes a number of connected and/or disconnected conductive regions that form electrically conductive pattern 17 and are arranged in the same plane. Upper layer 16 is electrically conductive.
As used herein, the phrase “electrically connected to” encompasses connecting two elements by wiring, solder, power overlay, bonding, or other electrical connection means. According to a particular embodiment, upper layer 16 of substrate 12 is soldered to first conductive layer 20 of laminar interconnect 18. By connecting upper layer 16 to first conductive layer 20, the bottom side (not shown) of all power devices 14, such as the IGBT collector (or MOSFET drain) and diode cathode, are interconnected.
According to more particular embodiments, substrate 12 is formed of direct bonded copper (DBC) or an active metal braze (AMB) structure. Both DBC and AMB refer to a process for directly bonding copper layers to a ceramic substrate. Exemplary DBC or AMB substrates are formed of copper-ceramic-copper layers. DBC and AMB provide a convenient structure for substrate 12, and the use of the same conductive material (in this case, copper) on both sides of electrical insulator 26 provides thermal and mechanical stability.
According to a more particular embodiment, electrical insulator 26 is thermally conductive. Exemplary electrical insulators include aluminum-oxide (AL2O3), aluminum nitride (AIN), Beryllium Oxide (BeO) and silicon nitride (Si3N4), which are thermally conductive.
Exemplary insulating layers 22 include FR4, Kapton, other insulating polymers, and other insulating materials. According to a particular embodiment (not shown), insulating layer 22 extends beyond first and second conductive layers 20, 24 by a creepage distance to avoid electrical breakdown at the edge of laminar interconnect 18. As is known to those skilled in the art, a general rule for determining the creepage distance is 100 mils per Kilovolt, where a mil is one-thousandth of an inch. Exemplary conductive layers are formed of copper. Gold-bonded copper is also used to reduce oxidation.
Cooling is a design concern for power electronics. Many cooling techniques can be employed for power module 10, including flat-surface cooling techniques, examples of which include liquid cooling, micro-channel cooling, and conventional heat sinks. For the exemplary embodiment of
For the exemplary embodiment of
According to a particular embodiment, electrical connections 17 and 42 or 43 are symmetric for static (steady-state) and dynamic (transient) current sharing. By symmetric, it is meant that the total length of the respective electrical connections between the power devices 14 and the first and second conductive layers 20 and 24 is substantially the same. In contrast, conventional power module designs provide current paths of varying lengths between power devices and the power terminals. Consequently, devices with shorter current paths are subject to greater stresses than are those power devices with longer current paths. The symmetrical arrangements of
For the phase leg embodiment shown in
Exemplary transistors include insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), which have emitters and collectors, and MOSFETs, which have sources and drains. For IGBTs, the electrical connections, which are shown in
According to a particular embodiment, switch 34 includes at least two transistors 36 and at least two anti-parallel diodes 38. For the phase leg embodiment of
For the embodiments of
In order to protect the power devices 14, the power module 10 further includes a housing 32 encasing substrate 12, according to a particular embodiment.
An example single switch power module was simulated, and
LIGBT=Lconn+LsD+LsQ, and
LDiode=Lconn+LsD.
As used here, LIGBT is the package inductance when the IGBT is conducting, and LDiode is the package inductance when the anti-parallel diode is conducting. Lconn is the contribution to the package inductance of the laminar interconnect that is shared between the IGBT and the anti-parallel diode. LsQ is the contribution to the package inductance associated with at least one wire bond 42 and the portion of electrically conductive pattern 17 between the IGBT die and the anti-parallel diode die. LSD is the contribution to the package inductance associated with at least one wire bond 42 and the portion of electrically conductive pattern 17 between the diode die and the laminar interconnect. In the example, the following parameter values were employed. The conductor width on the module was set to 51 mm, and the conductor width on the connector was selected to be 86 mm. A conductor spacing of 2.5 mm on the electrically conductive pattern 17 was used, and the spacing of the two conductive layers 16, 28 on the connector of 0.635 mm was selected. The heat-sink width and thickness were set to 51 mm and 5 mm, respectively. A wire bond diameter of 0.508 mm was used and simulations were performed at two frequencies: fs=DC and 1 MHz. This is merely an example employed for the purpose of running a simulation for illustrative purposes only, and these values should not be viewed as limiting the invention in any way. For this example, the simulation results included: a total switch module inductance of 0.93 nH, a gate inductance of 9.2 nH at 1 MHz, a switch module capacitance of 406.4 pF, and a capacitance between the heat sink and collector plate of 207.5 pF.
A power module assembly 80 embodiment is described with respect to
For the exemplary embodiment of
According to a particular embodiment, power module assembly 80 further includes at least one heat sink 30 for cooling power device(s) 14 mounted in the respective power modules 10. Heat sink 30 is discussed above with respect to
According to particular embodiments, substrate 12 is formed of direct bonded copper (DBC) or an active metal braze (AMB). For the exemplary embodiment of
As noted above, it is desirable to reduce the parasitic inductance of the power module assembly. For the phase leg embodiment depicted in
Benefits of power module assembly 80 include a low parasitic inductance, modular structure, and scaleability to higher currents.
In another embodiment, power module assembly 80 is configured as a switch reluctance motor (SRM) drive. As shown for example in
The power modules 10 can advantageously be combined to form a modular phase leg assembly 80, which is a specific embodiment of the more general power module assembly 80. A modular phase leg assembly 80 is discussed with reference to
An example modular phase leg assembly was simulated, and
As used here, LswL+ is the parasitic inductance for the upper switch path between the output terminal and the positive terminal, LdL+ is the parasitic inductance for the upper diode path between the output terminal and the positive terminal, LswL− is the parasitic inductance for the lower switch path between the output terminal and the negative terminal, and LdL− is the parasitic inductance for the lower diode path between the output terminal and the negative terminal. LBus is the parasitic inductance of the back plane, and Lconn is the parasitic inductance of the laminar interconnect. LsQ1 (LsQ2) is the contribution to the package inductance associated with the wire bond interconnection between the switch Q1 (Q2) die and the anti-parallel diode D1 (D2) die. LsD1 (LsD2) is the contribution to the package inductance associated with at least one wire bond 42 and the portion of electrically conductive pattern 17 between the diode D1 (D2) die and the laminar interconnect. In the example, the following parameter values were employed. The conductor width on the module was set to 51 mm, and the conductor width on the connector was selected to be 56 mm. A conductor spacing of 2.5 mm on the electrically conductive pattern 17 was used, and the spacing of the two conductive layers on the connector of 0.635 mm was selected. A heat-sink width of 40 mm was used. This is merely an example employed for the purpose of running a simulation for comparative purposes only, and these values should not be viewed as limiting the invention in any way. For this example, the simulation yielded a phase-leg loop inductance—the total loop inductance from positive to negative terminal of low inductance DC bus capacitor—of 2.78 nH, for the back-to-back configuration of
As shown for example in
The power modules 10 can advantageously be combined to form a modular three-phase inverter assembly 90 that includes six power modules 10, which are described above. An exemplary modular three-phase inverter assembly 90 is illustrated in
Although the exemplary three-phase inverter assembly 90 shown in
Although only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A power module comprising:
- at least one substrate comprising an upper layer, an electrical insulator and a thermal coupling layer, wherein said upper layer comprises at least one electrically conductive pattern and is configured for receiving at least one power device, wherein said electrical insulator is disposed between said upper layer and said thermal coupling layer, and wherein said thermal coupling layer is configured for thermal coupling to a base plate;
- at least one laminar interconnect comprising a first electrically conductive layer, an insulating layer and a second electrically conductive layer, wherein said insulating layer is disposed between said first and second electrically conductive layers, wherein said first electrically conductive layer of said laminar interconnect is electrically connected to said upper layer of said substrate; and
- a plurality of electrical connections connecting a top side of the at least one power device to said second electrically conductive layer of said laminar interconnect.
2. The power module of claim 1, wherein said electrical insulator is thermally conductive.
3. The power module of claim 1, further comprising at least one heat sink, wherein said heat sink comprises said base plate, wherein said substrate is attached to said base plate.
4. The power module of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises direct bonded copper.
5. The power module of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises active metal braze.
6. The power module of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of power devices mounted on said substrate, wherein said power devices are electrically connected to said upper layer of said substrate.
7. The power module of claim 6, wherein said power devices comprise at least one transistor and at least one anti-parallel diode forming at least one switch, wherein said at least one switch is mounted on said electrically conductive pattern, wherein said electrical connections connect an anode of said diode to said second electrically conductive layer of said laminar interconnect.
8. The power module of claim 7, wherein said at least one transistor comprises an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) comprising a collector and an emitter, and wherein said electrical connections connect said emitter to said anode of said anti-parallel diode.
9. The power module of claim 7, wherein said at least one transistor comprises a MOSFET comprising a source and a drain, and wherein said electrical connections connect said source to said anode of said anti-parallel diode.
10. The power module of claim 7, wherein said switch comprises at least two transistors and at least two anti-parallel diodes, wherein said switch is disposed on said electrically conductive pattern and further comprises a gate formed on said electrically conductive pattern, and wherein said electrical connections symmetrically connect each of said transistors to said gate.
11. The power module of claim 6, wherein said power devices comprise a plurality of transistors, wherein at least one of said transistors is an IGBT and at least one of said transistors is a MOSFET.
12. The power module of claim 6, wherein said power devices comprise a plurality of anti-parallel diodes, wherein at least one of said anti-parallel diodes is a bipolar diode and at least one of said anti-parallel diodes is a unipolar diode.
13. The power module of claim 6, wherein said power devices comprise at least one MOSFET comprising a source and a drain, wherein said drain is soldered onto said electrically conductive pattern, and wherein said electrical connections connects said source to said upper layer of said laminar interconnect.
14. The power module of claim 1, wherein said electrical connections comprise wire bonds.
15. The power module of claim 1, wherein said electrical connections comprise at least one power overlay.
16. The power module of claim 1, wherein said electrical connections comprise ribbon bonds.
17. The power module of claim 1, wherein said electrical connections are symmetric for static and dynamic current sharing.
18. The power module of claim 1, wherein said laminar interconnect comprises an edge card connector configured for connecting to a receptacle mounted on a back plane, wherein the back plane comprises a positive direct current (DC) bus layer, an output layer, and a negative DC bus layer.
19. The power module of claim 1, further comprising at least one housing encasing said substrate.
20-46. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 1, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 6, 2008
Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Ljubisa Stevanovic (Clifton Park, NY), Eladio Delgado (Burnt Hills, NY), Michael Schutten (Rotterdam, NY), Richard Beaupre (Pittsfield, MA), Michael De Rooij (Schenectady, NY)
Application Number: 11/933,744
International Classification: H01L 31/111 (20060101);