IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,559,538

Granted Patent B2

US 10,559,538 · App. 15/533,870 · Granted Feb 11, 2020

Power module

Inventors: Junji Fujino (Tokyo, JP); Shohei Ogawa (Tokyo, JP); Soichi Sakamoto (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

H01L23/562 H01L23/3142 H01L23/3672 H01L23/3735 H01L24/40 H01L25/18 H01L2224/40227 H01L2224/40496 H01L2224/40499 H01L2924/01013 H01L2924/01029 H01L2924/1033 H01L2924/10254 H01L2924/10272 H01L2924/1203 H01L2924/13055 H01L2924/3512

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 10,559,538
App. No.: 15/533,870
Granted: Feb 11, 2020
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A power module of the invention includes a power semiconductor element mounted on a circuit board, and an adapter connected to a front-surface main electrode of the element, wherein the adapter includes a main-electrode wiring member which is connected to the front-surface main electrode of the element; and wherein the main-electrode wiring member includes: an element connection portion connected to the front-surface main electrode of the element; a board connection portion which is placed outside the element connection portion and connected to the circuit board; and a connector connection portion which is placed outside the element connection portion and connected to an external electrode through a connector.

Claims (49)

1. A power module which comprises a power semiconductor element mounted on a circuit board, and an adapter connected to a front-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a main-electrode wiring member which is connected to the front-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element;

wherein the main-electrode wiring member includes: an element connection portion connected to the front-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element; a board connection portion which is placed outside the element connection portion and connected to the circuit board; and a connector connection portion which is placed outside the element connection portion and connected to an external electrode through a connector,

wherein an opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member, which is opposite to a surface of the main-electrode wiring member on which the element connection portion placed, is covered with a resin,

wherein the element connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is covered with a gap sealing material,

wherein (i) a peripheral portion of the adapter, which extends from a facing portion of the adapter facing the circuit board and in a direction away from the circuit board, and (ii) the circuit board, are covered with a peripheral-portion sealing material, and

wherein the gap sealing material has heat resistance higher than that of the peripheral-portion sealing material.

2. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is placed in substantially parallel to the circuit board.

3. The power module of claim 1 , the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is placed at a height that is the same as that of the opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member, or at a height that is lower than the opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member.

4. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the adapter includes a signal wiring member which is connected to a front-surface signal electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the signal wiring member includes: an element signal-connection portion connected to the front-surface signal electrode of the power semiconductor element; a board signal-connection portion which is placed outside the element signal-connection portion and connected to the circuit board; and a connector signal-connection portion which is placed outside the element signal-connection portion and on an opposite surface of the board signal-connection portion that is opposite to a surface of the signal wiring member on which the element signal-connection portion and the board signal-connection portion are placed, and which is connected to an external electrode through a connector,

wherein an opposite surface of the signal wiring member that is opposite to the surface of the signal wiring member on which the element signal-connection portion is placed, is covered with the resin, and

the element signal-connection portion of the signal wiring member are covered with the gap sealing material.

5. The power module of claim 4 , wherein the circuit board includes a conductive layer connected to a back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected through the conductive layer to the back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the back-surface main-electrode wiring member includes, on at least a first opposite surface portion of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member that is opposite to a surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected to the conductive layer, a connector connection portion that is connected to an external electrode through a connector, and

wherein at least a second opposite surface portion of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member that is opposite to the surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected to the conductive layer, is partly covered with the resin.

6. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the circuit board includes a conductive layer connected to a back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected through the conductive layer to the back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the back-surface main-electrode wiring member includes, on an opposite surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member that is opposite to a surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected to the conductive layer, a connector connection portion that is connected to an external electrode through a connector, and

wherein an opposite surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member that is opposite to the surface of the back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected to the conductive layer, is partly covered with the resin.

7. The power module of claim 1 , wherein a switching element and a diode each provided as the power semiconductor element are mounted on the circuit board, and

wherein the main-electrode wiring member of the adapter is connected to the front-surface main electrode of each of the switching element and the diode.

8. The power module of claim 1 , wherein a switching element and a diode each provided as the power semiconductor element are mounted on the same surface of the circuit board, and

wherein the main-electrode wiring member of the adapter is connected to the front-surface main electrode of each of the switching element and the diode.

9. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the adapter is an adapter that is partly covered by an insert molding method with a thermoplastic insert-molding resin,

wherein said resin is the thermoplastic insert-molding resin, and

wherein the power semiconductor element is covered with the thermoplastic insert-molding resin having been softened.

10. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the power semiconductor element includes a front-surface signal electrode through which a first current flows, the first current being smaller than a second current flowing through the front-surface main electrode, and

wherein an opening portion is provided above the front-surface signal electrode through which a connector for connecting the front-surface signal electrode to an external electrode is placed.

11. The power module of claim 1 , wherein said connector is a wire or ribbon made of aluminum or copper.

12. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the power semiconductor element is formed of a wide bandgap semiconductor material.

13. The power module of claim 12 , wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor material is silicon carbide, a gallium nitride-based material or diamond.

14. The power module of claim 1 , wherein the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is placed at a height that is the same as that of a surface of the main-electrode wiring member on the opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member.

15. The power module of claim 14 , wherein the adapter includes a signal wiring member which is connected to a front-surface signal electrode of the power semiconductor element, and

16. The power module of claim 15 , wherein the circuit board includes a conductive layer connected to a back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected through the conductive layer to the back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element, and

17. The power module of claim 14 , wherein the circuit board includes a conductive layer connected to a back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a back-surface main-electrode wiring member connected through the conductive layer to the back-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element, and

18. A power module which comprises a power semiconductor element mounted on a circuit board, and an adapter connected to a front-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element,

wherein the adapter includes a main-electrode wiring member which is connected to the front-surface main electrode of the power semiconductor element;

wherein the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is placed at a height that is the same as that of an opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member on a side of the main-electrode wiring member opposite to the element connection portion, wherein a recess in the main-electrode wiring member separates the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member from the opposite surface of the main-electrode wiring member.

19. The power module of claim 18 , wherein the connector connection portion of the main-electrode wiring member is placed in substantially parallel to the circuit board.

20. The power module of claim 18 , wherein the adapter includes a signal wiring member which is connected to a front-surface signal electrode of the power semiconductor element, and

Assignments (1)

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 7, 2017

From: FUJINO, JUNJI; OGAWA, SHOHEI; SAKAMOTO, SOICHI

To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

Reel/Frame 042638/0029 →

Priority Claims (1)

JP 2015-034734 · Feb 25, 2015 · national

Continuity (1)

Related Publication 20170338190A1 · Nov 23, 2017