PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the single-sided packaging structure and double-sided packaging structure of high-power module and study the overall heat dissipation performance and reliability of the module.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the single-sided packaging structure and double-sided packaging structure of power module are designed based on Wolfspeed products. This paper is analyzed by finite element method. First, the heat dissipation performance of single-sided packaging structure and double-sided packaging structure is analyzed; second, the deformation and stress of single-sided packaging structure and double-sided packaging structure are compared and analyzed; and finally, the cumulative plastic deformation of single-sided packaging and double-sided packaging structures are compared and analyzed, and the fatigue life of the structure is calculated based on the plastic deformation.FindingsIn the heat transfer simulation, under the same power input, the heat dissipation performance of single-sided packaging structure is not as good as that of double-sided packaging structure. Under the reliability simulation of the same temperature cycle standard, the maximum equivalent stress of single-sided packaging structure is lower than that of double-sided packaging structure, but the fatigue life prediction based on plastic strain shows that the fatigue life of double-sided packaging structure is not different from that of single-sided packaging structure.Originality/valueThis paper creatively simulates the thermal characteristics and reliability of single-sided packaging structure and double-sided packaging structure and proves the advantages of double-sided packaging structure compared with single-sided packaging structure from the aspects of heat transfer performance and reliability.