Semiconductor power module

1. A semiconductor power module comprising:

a semiconductor element having a first electrode on a front surface and a second electrode on a back surface thereof;

a first heat pipe having a first region at one end of the first heat pipe, the one end of the first heat pipe being electrically connected to one of the first and second electrodes of the semiconductor element, the first heat pipe further having a second region at an other end thereof;

a second heat pipe having a first region at one end of the second heat pipe, the one end of the second heat pipe being electrically connected to the other of the first and second electrodes of the semiconductor element, the second heat pipe further having a second region at an other end thereof, wherein the first region of the first heat pipe and the first region of the second heat pipe together sandwich the semiconductor element therebetween;

a cooling fin sandwiched between the second region of the first heat pipe and the second region of the second heat pipe; and

a first insulating plate surrounding the semiconductor element in the first regions to regulate an arrangement position of the semiconductor element,

wherein at least one of the first and second heat pipes has a positioning projection for providing positioning with respect to the first insulating plate, and

the first insulating plate has a positioning hole for housing therein the positioning projection of the at least one of the first and second heat pipes.

2. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1 , further comprising second and third insulating plates respectively arranged between the cooling fin and the first heat pipe and between the cooling fin and the second heat pipe in the second regions to regulate an arrangement position of the cooling fin, wherein the second and third insulating plates each have a positioning part that positions the second and third insulating plate with respect to the first or second heat pipe.

3. The semiconductor power module according to claim 2 , wherein the second and third insulating plates each have a second fitting part, and the first and second heat pipes each have a part that fits with the second fitting part of the respective second and third insulating plates.

4. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1 , further comprising a relay terminal holder fixed to the first or second heat pipe on an outer end side of the first region of the respective heat pipe.

5. The semiconductor power module according to claim 4 , wherein the relay terminal holder is integrally formed with the first insulating plate.

6. The semiconductor power module according to 1 , wherein each of the first and second heat pipes is provided with a cooling medium in a hollow provided inside thereof.

7. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1 , further comprising a case arranged in the first region of the first and second heat pipes to cover the semiconductor element and the first and second heat pipes, and

wherein the semiconductor element, the first and second heat pipes, and the case are assembled without using a conductive bonding material.

8. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1 , further comprising:

another semiconductor element and another cooling fin arranged on the second heat pipe; and

a third heat pipe which, together with the second heat pipe, sandwiches the another semiconductor element and the another cooling fin.

9. The semiconductor power module according to claim 1 , wherein

a thickness of the second region of each of the respective first and second heat pipes is larger than a thickness of the first region, and

at least one of the first and second heat pipes is formed into a stepped shape having a slanted surface ranging from the first region to the second region.

10. A semiconductor power module assembly comprising:

a first semiconductor power module and a second semiconductor power module, each of the first and second semiconductor power modules, respectively, including:

a semiconductor element having a first electrode on a front surface and a second electrode on a back surface thereof;

a first heat pipe having a first region at one end of the first heat pipe, the one end of the first heat pipe being electrically connected to one of the first and second electrodes of the semiconductor element, the first heat pipe further having a second region at an other end thereof;

a second heat pipe having a first region at one end of the second heat pipe, the one end of the second heat pipe being electrically connected to the other of the first and second electrodes of the semiconductor element, the second heat pipe further having a second region at an other end thereof, wherein the first region of the first heat pipe and the first region of the second heat pipe together sandwich the semiconductor element therebetween;

a cooling fin sandwiched between the second region of the first heat pipe and the second region of the second heat pipe; and

an insulating plate surrounding the semiconductor element in the first regions to regulate an arrangement position of the semiconductor element, wherein at least one of the first and second heat pipes has a positioning projection for providing positioning with respect to the first insulating plate, and the first insulating plate has a positioning hole for housing therein the positioning projection of the at least one of the first and second heat pipes; and

a fastener integrally fastening together the first semiconductor power module and the second semiconductor power module.