Integrated double sided cooling packaging of planar SiC power modules

Abstract

A packaging scheme for the integrated power electronics building block is developed, that incorporates double sided direct cooling (forced air or liquid) into assembly comprised of multiple planar packaged power silicon carbide (SiC) phase leg modules. The power modules feature three-dimensional (3-D) planar electrical interconnection and dual exposed cooling surfaces through bonding of power dies between two sandwiched substrates with attached pin-fin cold plates. The unique coolant manifolds, providing matched cooling passages to the modules, were designed and fabricated by using newly developed additive manufacture (three dimensional, 3-D printing) technology. By combining these packaging attributes, advanced SiC power converters integrating both functions of electrical interconnection and cooling that achieve 75% reduction in parasitic electrical impedance and 40% reduction in thermal resistance have been produced. The advantages of this SiC packaging scheme in cost-effectiveness, power conversion efficiency, power density of power electronics systems in modern electric drive vehicles are demonstrated by evaluating the 100A, 1200V SiC half-bridge power module assemblies.