Discrete power component assembly

1. A motor drive comprising:

a motherboard;

a controller mounted on the motherboard;

a heat sink; and

a discrete power component assembly mounted to the motherboard, the discrete power component assembly including:

two discrete power components,

a motherboard facing plate intermediate the motherboard and the two discrete power components, the motherboard facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components; and

a heat sink facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components which are opposite the planar surfaces adjacent the motherboard facing plate, wherein the heat sink facing plate and the motherboard facing plate are secured to each other to hold the two discrete power components therebetween,

wherein the discrete power component assembly is positioned between the heat sink and the motherboard.

2. The motor drive of claim 1 , wherein the heat sink facing plate comprises a metal substrate, the motor drive further comprising a thermal interface layer in contact with the metal substrate.

3. The motor drive of claim 2 , wherein the metal substrate comprises an aluminum plate, the motor drive further comprising a dielectric layer bonded to the aluminum plate.

4. The motor drive of claim 3 , wherein the metal substrate further comprises a copper tracing layer.

5. The motor drive of claim 1 , further comprising a thermal interface layer between the discrete power component assembly and the heat sink.

6. The motor drive of claim 1 , wherein the two discrete power components comprise a plurality of discrete power switches configured in an inverter topology, and wherein the motherboard comprises the controller configured to generate gating signals to control the power switches.

7. The motor drive of claim 1 , wherein each of the two discrete power components comprises an individually packaged power switch.

8. The motor drive of claim 1 , wherein the discrete power component assembly comprises four diodes, further comprising a second discrete power component assembly comprising two diodes and two power switches.

9. The motor drive of claim 8 , wherein the four diodes are arranged in a rectifier topology, and wherein the two diodes and the two power switches are arranged in a power factor correction circuit topology.

10. A method of making motor drive, the method comprising:

bonding two discrete power components to a heat sink facing plate with a thermal interface layer therebetween;

securing a motherboard facing plate and the heat sink facing plate to each other to hold the two discrete power components therebetween, the heat sink facing plate, the motherboard facing plate, and the two discrete power components forming a discrete power component assembly;

electrically connecting leads of the two discrete power components to a motherboard to attach the discrete power component assembly to the motherboard; and

securing a heat sink to the discrete power component assembly with a thermal interface layer therebetween,

wherein bonding two discrete power components to a heat sink facing plate is performed by pressing a top fixture and a bottom fixture with the two discrete power components and the heat sink facing plate therebetween, and with an adhesive layer between each of the two discrete power components and the heat sink facing plate.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising supporting leads of the two discrete power components with the top fixture or the bottom fixture and bending the leads with the other of the top fixture or the bottom fixture.