SEMICONDUCTOR MODULE WITH A DEPRESSION

Abstract

A semiconductor assembly includes a semiconductor module designed for connection to a heat sink and having a surface which faces away from the heat sink and has a depression, a printed circuit board, and an electronic circuit arranged on the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board together with the electronic circuit is secured to the semiconductor module on the surface of the semiconductor module. The electronic circuit includes electronic components configured to protrude into the depression of the semiconductor module.

Claims

1.-8. (canceled)

9. A semiconductor assembly, comprising: a semiconductor module designed for connection to a heat sink and having a surface which faces away from the heat sink and has a depression; a printed circuit board; and an electronic circuit arranged on the printed circuit board, with the printed circuit board together with the electronic circuit being secured to the semiconductor module on the surface of the semiconductor module, said electronic circuit comprising electronic components configured to protrude into the depression of the semiconductor module.

10. The semiconductor assembly of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor module comprises electrical terminals forming electrical connections between the printed board and the semiconductor module for fastening the printed board to the semiconductor module.

11. The semiconductor assembly of claim 10, wherein the printed board is fastened to the semiconductor module exclusively via the electrical connections.

12. The semiconductor assembly of claim 9, wherein the printed circuit board is connected to the semiconductor module without a screw connection.

13. The semiconductor assembly of claim 10, wherein the electrical terminals of the semiconductor module are arranged outside the depression on the surface of the semiconductor module.

14. The semiconductor assembly of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor module comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide and gallium nitrite.

15. The semiconductor assembly of claim 9, further comprising at least two of said semiconductor modules for connection only to said heat sink.

16. The semiconductor assembly of claim 9, further comprising said heat sink, said semiconductor module comprising a substrate which is directly connected to the heat sink in a non-detachable manner.

17. A power converter, comprising a semiconductor assembly, said power converter comprising a semiconductor module designed for connection to a heat sink and having a surface which faces away from the heat sink and has a depression, a printed circuit board, and an electronic circuit arranged on the printed circuit board, with the printed circuit board together with the electronic circuit being secured to the semiconductor module on the surface of the semiconductor module, said electronic circuit comprising electronic components configured to protrude into the depression of the semiconductor module.

18. The power converter of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor module comprises electrical terminals forming electrical connections between the printed board and the semiconductor module for fastening the printed board to the semiconductor module.

19. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the printed board is fastened to the semiconductor module exclusively via the electrical connections.

20. The power converter of claim 17, wherein the printed circuit board is connected to the semiconductor module without a screw connection.

21. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the electrical terminals of the semiconductor module are arranged outside the depression on the surface of the semiconductor module.

22. The power converter of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor module comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide and gallium nitrite.

23. The power converter of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor assembly comprises at least two of said semiconductor modules for connection only to said heat sink.

24. The power converter of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor assembly comprises said heat sink, said semiconductor module comprising a substrate which is directly connected to the heat sink in a non-detachable manner.

Description

[0026] The invention is described and explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. It is shown in:

[0027] FIG. 1 a part of a semiconductor assembly,

[0028] FIG. 2 a section through a semiconductor assembly, and

[0029] FIG. 3 a power converter.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a part of a semiconductor assembly 1. In this exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor module 2 is connected to a heat sink 3. The connection can be designed, for example, in a non-detachable manner. This can be realized in that the substrate of the semiconductor module 2 has been applied directly to the heat sink 3 and thus the substrate of the semiconductor module 2 is directly connected to the heat sink 3. In this illustration, the semiconductor module 2 is designed in two parts. The housing has a base body and a cover, the cover being formed by the surface 21 of the semiconductor module 2 facing away from the heat sink. The terminals 22 of the semiconductor module 2 are also arranged on this surface 21, on which a printed circuit board 5 (not shown here) can be fastened to an electronic circuit 4. So that, on the one hand, the terminals 22 for fastening the printed circuit board 5 can be short in design, that is to say with a short length, and nevertheless the printed circuit board 5 can be equipped on both sides, a depression 6 is present on the surface 21 of the semiconductor module 2 facing away from the heat sink. FIG. 2 shows in a sectional view that electronic components 41 of the electric circuit 4 on the printed circuit board 5 can protrude into the depression 6 of the semiconductor module 2. This makes it possible to ensure that the distance between the semiconductor module 2 and the printed circuit board 5 can be selected to be so small even with the arrangement of larger components such as, for example, pulse capacitors, ceramic capacitors or electrolytic capacitors, that the printed circuit board 5 can be fastened to the terminals 22 of the semiconductor module 2 which form an electrical connection 8 between the printed circuit board 5 and the semiconductor module 2. In order to avoid repetition, reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 and to the reference characters introduced there.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a power converter 10 which has a multiplicity of semiconductor assemblies 1.

[0032] In summary, the invention relates to a semiconductor assembly, comprising a semiconductor module and an electronic circuit, the semiconductor module being designed to connect to a heat sink. In order to improve the semiconductor assembly in particular with respect to the use of the semiconductor assembly in a power converter, it is proposed that the electronic circuit is arranged on a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board together with the electronic circuit being secured to the semiconductor module on a surface of the semiconductor module facing away from the heat sink, the surface of the semiconductor module facing away from the heat sink having a depression, electronic components of the electronic circuit arranged on the printed circuit board protruding into the depression of the semiconductor module. The invention also relates to a power converter comprising at least one such semiconductor assembly.