SEMICONDUCTOR COOLING ARRANGEMENT WITH IMPROVED BAFFLE

Abstract

A semiconductor cooling arrangement. The semiconductor cooling arrangement comprises one or more semiconductor assemblies, a housing, and one or more baffles. Each assembly comprises a heatsink and one or more semiconductor power devices mounted on and thermally coupled to the heatsink. The housing is for housing the one or more assemblies in a chamber within the housing, and comprises inlet and outlet ports in fluid communication with the chamber. The baffles are arranged such that fluid flows through each baffle to a respective heatsink. Each baffle comprises through-holes arranged such that fluid flows through the through holes to a region of the semiconductor assembly to which a semiconductor power device is mounted, or to a region of the heatsink opposite a location to which a semiconductor power device is mounted. Each baffle is a printed circuit board, comprising control and/or monitoring circuitry for an adjacent semiconductor assembly, and being electrically connected to the one or more semiconductor power devices of that semiconductor assembly.

Claims

1. A semiconductor cooling arrangement comprising: one or more semiconductor assemblies, each assembly comprising a heatsink and one or more semiconductor power devices mounted on and thermally coupled to the heatsink; a housing for housing the one or more assemblies in a chamber within the housing, the housing comprising inlet and outlet ports in fluid communication with the chamber; one or more baffles, arranged such that fluid flows through each baffle to a respective heatsink, each baffle comprising through-holes arranged such that fluid flows through the through holes to a region of the semiconductor assembly to which a semiconductor power device is mounted, or to a region of the heatsink opposite a location to which a semiconductor power device is mounted; wherein each baffle is a printed circuit board, each baffle comprising control and/or monitoring circuitry for an adjacent semiconductor assembly, and being electrically connected to the one or more semiconductor power devices of that semiconductor assembly.

2. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control and/or monitoring circuitry comprises any one or more of: isolation of high voltage and low voltage circuits; logic circuits; local gate buffering circuits; resistances or impedances for controlling a gate of the semiconductor power device; local current balancing circuits; Miller clamping circuits; fast overcurrent protection circuits.

3. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection between each baffle and the adjacent semiconductor assembly extends through the coolant between said baffle and said adjacent semiconductor assembly.

4. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each baffle comprises a temperature sensor, and comprising a thermally conductive element extending from each temperature sensor to the adjacent semiconductor assembly.

5. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1 and configured such that fluid flows from each baffle to the semiconductor assembly which that baffle is electrically connected to

6. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, and configured such that fluid flows from each semiconductor assembly to the baffle which that semiconductor assembly is electrically connected to, and comprising an additional baffle located such that fluid flows from the additional baffle to the semiconductor assembly closest to the inlet port, wherein the additional baffle does not contain electronic components.

7. A switching device comprising a motherboard and the semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the motherboard comprises additional control and/or monitoring circuitry, and wherein the additional control and/or monitoring circuitry is electrically connected to the control and/or monitoring circuitry of each baffle.

8. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each semiconductor assembly comprises: a semiconductor die bonded to the heatsink, the semiconductor die containing the semiconductor power device; an encapsulant covering the semiconductor die, wherein the side of the heatsink to which the semiconductor die is bonded extends beyond the encapsulant; electrical connections passing through the encapsulant and to the semiconductor die.

9. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor die is electrically coupled to the heatsink, and the heatsink acts as an electrical connection for one of: the drain or source of the semiconductor power device, where the semiconductor power device is a transistor; the collector or emitter of the semiconductor power device, where the semiconductor power device is a transistor; the anode or cathode of the semiconductor power device, where the semiconductor power device is a diode.

10. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor die is sintered to the heatsink.

11. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the heatsink comprises a silver layer, and the semiconductor die is sintered to the silver layer.

12. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the heatsink comprises a recess, the semiconductor die is bonded to the heatsink within that recess, and the encapsulant fills or partially fills the recess and does not extend beyond the recess.

13. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor assembly comprises a plurality of semiconductor dies, each containing a transistor, and a plurality of respective regions of encapsulant, each region of encapsulant covering a respective semiconductor die and being separated from the other regions of encapsulant.

14. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the gap between each heatsink and the adjacent baffle in the direction of the outlet is larger than the gap between each heatsink and the other adjacent baffle in the direction of the inlet, other than for heatsink located closest to the outlet, and wherein the though hole of the adjacent baffle in the direction of the inlet is aligned with the encapsulant of each heatsink.

15. The semiconductor cooling arrangement according to claim 14, and comprising a support structure located between each heatsink and the adjacent baffle in the direction of the outlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a power supply for a motor;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a typical package for a semiconductor power device;

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway view of a particular implementation of a cooling system;

[0026] FIG. 4 shows an alternative implementation of a cooling system;

[0027] FIG. 5 shows an arrangement for a semiconductor assembly;

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a structure for a heatsink;

[0029] FIG. 7 shows the process of assembling a semiconductor assembly using the heatsink of FIG. 6;

[0030] FIG. 8A shows the reverse of a heatsink;

[0031] FIG. 8B is a diagram depicting raised features of the heatsink of FIG. 8A;

[0032] FIG. 9A shows a support structure;

[0033] FIG. 9B shows the locking lugs used in FIG. 9A;

[0034] FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C show various possible arrangements of through-holes on a baffle;

[0035] FIG. 11 shows a PCB baffle;

[0036] FIG. 12 is a system block diagram showing which components may be included on the PCB baffle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Several proposals will be described herein for improvements relating to cooling a semiconductor assembly, each in their own section—though it will be appreciated that these improvements may be combined in appropriate ways as described in the below description and otherwise, or used separately. For the assistance of the coming description, a base device will first be described, without any of the individual improvements.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a power supply for a motor, the power supply comprising a switching device, with dashed boxes showing the locations of individual components or subsystems. The switching device comprises: [0039] a motherboard 110 containing switching control circuitry; [0040] a cooling system comprising a cooling pump 121, baffles 122 or other coolant flow control elements, and a heatsinks 123; [0041] semiconductor assemblies comprising semiconductor power devices such as high speed switches 101 mounted on (or otherwise thermally coupled to) the heatsinks 123. Each heatsink 123 may have one or more high speed switches mounted to it.

[0042] The cooling system and semiconductor assemblies together form a semiconductor cooling arrangement.

[0043] The switching device controls the flow of power from a DC high voltage power supply 131 to a motor 132, via conversion to 3 phase AC power 133.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a typical package for a semiconductor power device, e.g. the switches 101 of FIG. 1 (in this case, a 3-pin insulated gate bipolar transistor switch (IGBT)), diodes, or similar components. The package 210 is a polymer casing containing a silicon die on which the transistor is located, and further comprises electrical contacts 201 corresponding to the inputs and outputs of the semiconductor power device (e.g. the base, collector, and emitter or gate, source, and drain of a transistor). Such a package also commonly includes a heatsink base plate 202 to provide a thermal connection between the silicon die and external cooling means such as a heatsink, e.g. by soldering. The heatsink base plate may be electrically connected to one of the inputs or outputs of the semiconductor power device, e.g. the drain of a transistor. The package may also have a mounting hole 203 to allow it to be mounted via a screw, rivet, or other similar attachment.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway view of a particular implementation of cooling system, and in particular the baffles 122 and heatsinks 123 of FIG. 1. The cooling system comprises a coolant input 310, a plurality of baffles 320, and a plurality of heatsinks 330, arranged within a coolant channel 340. This description assumes that coolant flow in the figure is from right to left, though it may also be the other way around (with the coolant input 310 being a coolant output). Directions within the coolant channel may be described as “upflow” (i.e. towards the coolant input) or “downflow” (i.e. towards the coolant output).

[0046] Each baffle 320 has a plurality of through-holes 321, positioned such that coolant flowing through those through-holes 321 will strike the heatsink as a jet, on regions of the heatsink opposite the mounting location of each semiconductor power device. There may be a set of circular through-holes for each semiconductor power device, as shown in the figure, or other numbers, shapes, and distributions of through-holes. Additional through-holes 322 may be provided to cool further components, e.g. in this case the through-holes 322 are positioned to cool the high voltage connections to the semiconductor power devices.

[0047] Each heatsink 330 has one or more semiconductor power devices mounted to it (on the reverse side, as viewed in the Figure), and a plurality of through-holes 331 surrounding the mounting location of the semiconductor power device, which direct coolant to the next baffle. Each heatsink may have additional through-holes 332 corresponding to the additional through-holes 322 on each baffle.

[0048] As an alternative to through-holes 331, 332, each heatsink may extend only partially across the coolant channel, allowing coolant to flow around the edges of the heatsink.

[0049] The coolant channel 340 encloses the heatsinks 330 and the baffles 320, such that each heatsink and baffle extends across the coolant channel. Coolant provided via the coolant input 310 then flows through each baffle, creating jets on each heatsink and providing cooling, then through the heatsink to the next baffle, mixing turbulently in the space between the heatsink and the baffle (both ensuring mixing of the fluid, and providing additional cooling to the semiconductor power device package). While the figure shows two heatsinks and two baffles, it will be appreciated that this pattern can be repeated for any number of heatsinks and baffles, and similarly that each heatsink may have mounting locations for any number of semiconductor power devices.

[0050] The coolant provided to the coolant input 310 is a coolant with very low electrical conductivity, e.g. a dielectric coolant. Optionally, additional flow guides (not shown) may be provided between baffles 320 and heatsinks 330 to direct fluid flow between the respective through-holes.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows an alternative implementation of a cooling system, for “one-sided” cooling of the heatsink. The heatsink 401 has a semiconductor power device 402 mounted thereon. On the opposite side of the heatsink 401, there is a coolant channel 403, configured to cause coolant to flow across the heatsink. This arrangement cools the heatsink without allowing electrical contact between the coolant and the semiconductor power device 402 or its electrical connections (except perhaps a single connection via the heatsink). As such, this arrangement allows for the use of coolants that have higher electrical conductivity, such as water. Again, this arrangement may comprise additional flow guides to direct fluid over the heatsink.

[0052] 1. Integrated Baffle and PCB

[0053] a. Control Electronics on Baffle Assembly

[0054] A major disadvantage of existing designs is that the cooling required to maintain appropriate temperature on high power, high speed switches or other semiconductor power devices takes up significant space, and this results in the semiconductor power devices being further away from the motherboard. This increased distance reduces the efficiency of the switching control and power delivery circuitry, resulting in greater heat generation and greater electromagnetic interference from the switching device as a whole.

[0055] FIG. 11 shows a potential solution to this issue. FIG. 11 depicts a baffle 1100 which may be used similarly to the baffles in FIG. 3. As with the baffles in FIG. 3, the baffle 1100 has through-holes 1101 to direct coolant to a heatsink (not shown). The baffle 1100 is constructed as a PCB which also contains a portion of the switching control circuitry 1102. Other than the need to provide through-holes 1101, the circuitry on the PCB may be arranged as per normal PCB design principles.

[0056] FIG. 12 is a system block diagram, similar to FIG. 1, showing which components may be provided on the PCB baffle 1100, and which should still be provided on the motherboard 1110. The high voltage DC power delivery 1131, the heatsink 1123 with attached switches 1111, the 3 phase power supply 1133, the coolant pump 1121 and the motor 1132 are not affected by this rearrangement, except in certain examples as noted below.

[0057] In general, the PCB baffle may contain circuitry for: [0058] Isolation of high voltage and low voltage components, [0059] Logic, [0060] Local gate buffering; [0061] Resistances or impedances required for gate control; [0062] Local current balancing; [0063] Miller clamping; [0064] Fast overcurrent protection.

[0065] Including the gate resistors for a transistor on the PCB baffle provides a significant advantage to efficiency. Further advantages are provided by the inclusion on the PCB baffle of Miller clamps, gate buffers, and buffer caps. Other components listed above are advantageous to include, but to a lesser extent.

[0066] Components on the PCB may include simple electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc), integrated circuits (including application specific integrated circuits, ASICs), terminals or other attachment points 1103 for connection to the semiconductor power devices and terminals or other attachment points 1104 for connection to the motherboard.

[0067] When using a PCB baffle, electrical contact between the PCB and the gate may be made across the coolant chamber formed between the PCB and the heatsink. Similarly, connection may be made across the coolant chamber between the PCB and the semiconductor power device for temperature sensing or similar.

[0068] The PCB baffle may be connected electrically to the semiconductor power devices on its downflow side, on its upflow side, or on both sides. The PCB baffle may be connected through the encapsulant, or vias through the heatsink may be provided for electrical connections to the PCB baffle if it is on the side of the heatsink opposite the semiconductor power device.

[0069] In general, where another section of this document refers to providing through-holes in a baffle, or other structural features of a baffle, these may be applied to the PCB baffle with appropriate routing of the electronics on the PCB.

[0070] 2. Die on Heatsink

[0071] a. Direct Die Bond

[0072] An issue with the package design shown in FIG. 2 is that the only effective way to get heat out from the die is via the heatsink base plate 202, as the package is typically made from a material with relatively low thermal conductivity. For high-power semiconductor assemblies, this can be a significant barrier to effectively cooling the die.

[0073] An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 5. The heatsink 501 is bonded directly to the die 502 which contains the semiconductor power device itself, without an intervening package as described with reference to FIG. 2. Electrical connections 503 are then provided from the die—as previously, one of these (e.g. the source or drain) may be via the heatsink. The electrical connections 503 may then be connected to the motherboard of the switching device. The die is encapsulated with an insulating material 504, e.g. an epoxy resin.

[0074] PCB elements may be provided for the electrical connections, e.g. to provide structural stability compared to bare copper, or to separate them from the heatsink. The electrical connections may be insulated from the heatsink by providing a gap underneath them which the encapsulant will fill. Further connections, e.g. a thermally conductive connection for use with a temperature sensor, may be provided.

[0075] The structure of the heatsink surrounding the die may be any desired structure—e.g. equivalent to those described with reference to FIG. 3 or 4 above, or having one or more of the heatsink features described later in this document.

[0076] The process of assembling the assembly is summarised below: [0077] 1. The die 502 is bonded to the heatsink 501. [0078] 2. Electrical connections 503 are connected to the die 502. [0079] 3. Encapsulant 504 is applied to encapsulate the die.

[0080] The die may be bonded to the heatsink by sintering. The sintering may be performed by applying a layer of a fusible/sinterable, generally high thermally conductive material (e.g. silver, copper, nickel, gold, or a solder) to the heatsink, and then sintering the die to that layer. The layer may be applied in, for example, tape/film, powder or paste formats, if applied as a separate material, or can be applied as a wafer backside coating. Alternatively, the die may be bonded to the heatsink by soldering or the use of an adhesive.

[0081] Applying the encapsulant may comprise applying a barrier around the die to define the extent of the encapsulant, and then filling the region within that barrier with encapsulant. The barrier may be removable, or may be allowed to remain attached to the heatsink.

[0082] The connections 503 will also act to bring heat out of the die through the encapsulant, aiding the heatsink 501 in cooling the die, as the encapsulant will generally be less thermally conductive than connections 503 or heatsink 501.

[0083] b. “Bathtub” Heatsink Structure

[0084] FIG. 6 shows a heatsink structure particularly suited to the “direct die bond” described in section 2a. This heatsink structure is referred to as a “bathtub” heatsink structure. The heatsink 601 has a semiconductor die 602 bonded to it, which contains a semiconductor power device, as before, and the die has electrical connections 603. In contrast to the assembly shown in FIG. 5, the heatsink has a recess 605 (also known as a blind hole or well), and the die is bonded to the heatsink at the base of that well. The encapsulant 604 is then provided within the recess. The heatsink may comprise through-holes 606 surrounding the recess, which correspond to the through-holes 331 of the heatsink of FIG. 3.

[0085] The process of assembling the assembly using the bathtub heatsink structure is shown in FIG. 7.

[0086] In step 710, the heatsink 701 is prepared for bonding with the semiconductor power device die 702. As an example, this may comprise applying a patch 711 for bonding of the semiconductor power device die within the recess 705.

[0087] In step 720, the semiconductor power device die 702 is bonded to the heatsink 701, e.g. by sintering. If PCB elements 721 are used for any of the electrical inputs for the die, then these are also bonded to the PCB.

[0088] In steps 730 and 740, electrical connections 703 are attached to the semiconductor power device die 702 and PCB element 721, so that these can be accessed after encapsulation.

[0089] In step 750, encapsulant 704, e.g. epoxy, is provided within the recess. The encapsulant may fill the recess, i.e. being flush with the heatsink around the recess, or it may only partially fill the recess to a depth sufficient to cover the die.

[0090] In contrast to the method described for a flat heatsink in the previous section, no barrier is required to contain the encapsulant when it is applied, which simplifies manufacture of the assembly and reduces the possibility for encapsulant leaking beyond the desired region.

[0091] FIG. 7 also shows through-holes 706, as described previously, and support structures 707, which elevate the electrical connections 703 and provide spacing between the heatsink and the adjacent baffle. Individual features of the support structures are described in more detail later, but it will be appreciated that any suitable support structure may be used with the features described in this section.

[0092] The heatsink 701 may comprised protrusions within the recess to aid in the alignment of the die and/or any PCB elements.

[0093] 3. Improved Heatsink Structure

[0094] a. Baffle-Heatsink Assembly with Integrated Fluid Guidance on Heatsink

[0095] FIG. 8A shows one side of a heatsink 800 (the side opposite the side to which the semiconductor power device is attached). Heatsink 800 is shown with recess 801 and through-holes 802, but it will be appreciated that recess 801 (as described in section 2b) is not required for the feature described in this section. Heatsink 800 has raised features 810 integral to the heatsink and arranged in a “snowflake” pattern which is reproduced in simplified form in FIG. 8B. The raised features 810 comprise both elongate 811 and circular 812 protrusions, and, when a jet of coolant impinges against the heatsink (i.e. a jet from a baffle, as described with reference to FIG. 3), the raised features act to direct the flow of coolant towards the through-holes 802 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 8B. In addition, the raised features increase the surface area of the heatsink, which together with the improved flow will increase the cooling of the heatsink. For avoidance of doubt features 810 are raised and are not caused by indenting the reverse side which may remain flat (or have any other desired features, e.g. a recess as described previously).

[0096] The arrangement of raised features 810 is suitable for a baffle which causes jets to impact within the area of the “snowflake”. Alternative patterns of raised features may be used, and these may be optimised for particular arrangements of jets from the baffle (i.e. through-holes on the baffle) or through-holes on the heatsink. In general, the features are arranged to promote flow from the jet impact region to the through-holes on the heatsink. Otherwise, impinged fluid from the jet can prevent additional fluid from the jet from hitting the surface.

[0097] b. Support Structure Connecting Baffle and Heatsink

[0098] FIG. 9A is a close-up of the support structure shown in FIG. 7. The support structure acts to space out each heatsink from the adjacent baffle, on the side of the heatsink where coolant flows from the heatsink to the next baffle. The reason for this spacing is to allow a chamber for turbulent mixing of the fluid after it has passed through the heatsink. On the side where the fluid flows from the baffle to the heatsink, a chamber with a lower width is desirable, to ensure that the jets formed by the baffle impact the heatsink (or encapsulant, depending on flow direction).

[0099] In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the chamber for turbulent mixing is on the same side of the heatsink as the semiconductor power device. The support structure 900 comprises fixing holes 901 which line up with corresponding holes on the heatsink and baffle, and allow the cooling assembly to be fastened together by bolts, rods, or similar means. The support structure may also comprise locking lugs 902, shown in profile in FIG. 9B, which act to fasten the support structure to the baffle, along with additional through-holes provided in the baffle which line up with the lugs.

[0100] The support structure may also comprise a plurality of channels 903 for the electrical connections to the semiconductor power device to pass through. The channels may extend over the heatsink to the semiconductor power device, allowing the electrical connection(s) to be easily isolated from the heatsink. The channels may each include a through-hole 904 allowing fluid flow through the additional through-holes on the heatsink (e.g. as in FIG. 3, 332) to form a jet and impact the electrical connection. This additional cooling is particularly important where the electrical connection is, e.g. the source and is carrying high current. The support structure comprises a side channel 905 for each of the through-holes 904, to direct fluid flow around the electrical connections after impact of the jet, and towards the additional through-holes in the baffle (e.g. as in FIG. 3, 322).

[0101] c. Alternative Baffle Hole Arrangements

[0102] FIGS. 10A through 10C show various possible arrangements of through-holes on a baffle for providing coolant jets to the heatsink, all to approximately similar scale. As can be seen from the variety of patterns, there is significant scope for different designs which may be optimised based on desired fluid flow and fluid pressure through the coolant channel. The pattern of through-holes may be different for different baffles within the coolant channel, or for different patterns on the same baffle, e.g. to account for pressure losses through the coolant channel.

[0103] 4. Additional Combinations and Synergies

[0104] a. Manufacturing Method for Heatsinks

[0105] Heatsinks according to the general disclosure at the start of the description, having a recess as described in section 2b, and/or having integrated fluid guidance as described in section 3a may be easily manufactured by stamping. In particular, by providing appropriate stamping dies, through-holes may be provided around the bonding location for the semiconductor power device, the recess may be formed, and/or the protrusions for integrated fluid guidance may be formed. In addition, the stamping method allows control of the thickness of the heatsink in specific areas, giving a large degree of control of the thermal properties while still allowing high-volume manufacturing to be performed easily.

[0106] b. Connecting “Die on Heatsink” to “PCB Baffle”

[0107] Where the die is directly bonded to the heatsink (as in section 2a), and the baffle is provided as a PCB with control electronics included (as in section 1a), connection may be made between the die and the PCB as necessary by providing electrical connections which stick up from the encapsulant and protrude towards the baffle. This is of particular use for the electrical connection to the gate of the transistor (which will generally be controlled by control circuitry on the PCB) and for temperature sensing (either by connection to a temperature sensor within the encapsulant, or by providing a thermally conductive protrusion which can be used to determine the temperature with sensors on the PCB).