Cooling device and method for producing the cooling device

Abstract

A cooling device for cooling power electronics may include a heat-dissipating cooling plate and a contacting surface arranged thereon. The contacting surface may include multiple conductors arranged thereon configured to fix and contact a power electronics. The contacting surface may be electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate. Between the heat-dissipating cooling plate and the contacting surface at least one organic intermediate layer may be arranged. The at least one organic intermediate layer may be fixed to the heat-dissipating cooling plate in a firmly bonded manner.

Claims

1. A cooling device for cooling power electronics, comprising: a heat-dissipating cooling plate; a contacting surface including multiple conductors arranged thereon configured to fix and contact a power electronics, the contacting surface arranged on the heat-dissipating cooling plate; the contacting surface electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate; wherein between the heat-dissipating cooling plate and the contacting surface at least one organic intermediate layer is arranged, the at least one organic intermediate layer fixed to the heat-dissipating cooling plate in a firmly bonded manner.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising: a ceramic plate; the at least one organic intermediate layer structured as an adhesive layer; and the ceramic plate fixed to the adhesive layer, wherein the contacting surface is fixed to the ceramic plate in a firmly bonded manner and is electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate via the ceramic plate.

3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the ceramic plate includes a copper layer facing away from the contacting surface, and wherein the ceramic plate with the copper layer is fixed to the adhesive layer.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one organic intermediate layer is an insulating layer; and the contacting surface is electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate via the insulating layer.

5. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating layer includes parylene.

6. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of: the contacting surface is fixed to the insulating layer; and the contacting surface is a conductor support and is fixed to the insulating layer via an organic adhesive coating.

7. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the heat-dissipating cooling plate and the insulating layer has a three-dimensional structure.

8. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one electronic unit coupled on the contacting surface.

9. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a protective coating.

10. A method for producing a cooling device comprising: applying at least one organic intermediate layer to a heat-dissipating cooling plate; and subsequently coupling a contacting surface including multiple conductors configured to fix and contact a power electronics to the heat-dissipating cooling plate such that i) the at least one organic intermediate layer is arranged between the heat-dissipating cooling plate and the contacting surface and ii) the contacting surface is electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the applying at least one organic intermediate layer includes applying an adhesive layer to the heat-dissipating cooling plate; and the coupling the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate includes coupling a ceramic plate with the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate via the adhesive layer and applying a heat supply.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the applying the at least one organic intermediate layer includes applying an insulating layer to the heat-dissipating cooling plate; and the contacting surface is electrically insulated from the heat-dissipating cooling plate via the insulating layer.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the applying the insulating layer includes applying the insulating layer to the heat-dissipating cooling plate via chemical vacuum vapour deposition.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: arranging a pattern mask on the heat-dissipating cooling plate prior to the applying the insulating layer; and removing the pattern mask from the heat-dissipating cooling plate after the applying the insulating layer.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising structuring the insulating layer after the applying the insulating layer.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the coupling the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate includes coupling the contacting surface to the insulating layer via one of a wet coating process and physical vapour deposition.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the contacting surface is a conductor support, and wherein the coupling the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate includes coupling the conductor support to the insulating layer via an organic adhesive coating.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: pre-treating the insulating layer; and applying the adhesive coating on the insulating layer after pre-treating the insulating layer.

19. The method according to claim 10, further comprising coupling at least one electronic unit to the contacting surface prior to the coupling the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising applying a protective coating to the heat-dissipating cooling plate after the coupling the contacting surface to the heat-dissipating cooling plate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] It shows, in each case schematically

[0032] FIG. 1 a sectional representation of a cooling device according to the invention with a ceramic plate coated on both sides;

[0033] FIG. 2 a sectional representation of a cooling device according to the invention with a ceramic plate coated on one side;

[0034] FIG. 3 a sectional representation of a cooling device according to the invention with a contacting surface in the form of a conductor support;

[0035] FIG. 4 a sectional representation of a cooling device according to the invention with a directly applied contacting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a sectional representation of a cooling device 1 according to the invention with a heat-dissipating cooling plate 2. On the cooling plate 2, an organic intermediate layer 3 is fixed in a firmly bonded manner, which in this exemplary embodiment is an adhesive layer 3a. On the adhesive layer 3a, a ceramic plate 4 is fixed. A contacting surface 5 comprises multiple conductors 6 for fixing and for contacting power electronics 7 and is fixed to the ceramic plate 4 in a firmly bonded manner. The ceramic plate 4 comprises a copper layer 8 facing away from the contacting surface 5 and together with the contacting surface 5 corresponds to a conventional DCB substrate. The ceramic plate 4 is fixable to the cooling plate 2 by means of the adhesive layer 3a at a process temperature below 250 C., as a result of which internal stresses in the ceramic plate 4, in the copper layer 8 and in the contacting surface 5 are advantageously avoided.

[0037] On the contacting surface 5 with the conductors 6, multiple electronic units 9 of the power electronics 7 are fixed. The electronic units 9 and the contacting surface 5 are electrically insulated from the cooling plate 2 by the ceramic plate 4, so that no leakage currents are created in the cooling device 1.

[0038] For protecting the electronic units 9, the cooling device 1 in this exemplary embodiment comprises a protective coating 10 preferably of parylene which protects the electronic units 9 from mechanical damage and external influences. Alternatively, the cooling device 1 can also be produced without the protective coating 10.

[0039] In FIG. 2, a sectional representation of the cooling device 1 according to the invention is shown with a deviating construction. In this exemplary embodiment, the ceramic plate 4 does not have a copper layer 8 and is directly fixed to the adhesive layer 3a. Compared with the ceramic plate 4 with the copper layer 8 shown in FIG. 1, the material and consequently also the production costs can be reduced here. To further reduce the production costs, the cooling device 1 can be produced for example even without the protective coating 10.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the cooling device 1 according to the invention, wherein the organic intermediate layer 3 in this exemplary embodiment preferably is an insulating layer 3b consisting of parylene. Through the insulating layer 3b, the contacting surface 5 is electrically insulated from the cooling plate 2. The contacting surface 5 in this exemplary embodiment is a conductor support 11, which is produced from a thick copper film for example by way of a stamping method. The conductor support 11 is fixed to the insulating layer 3b by an adhesive coating 12. Through the adhesive coating 3b, additional layersand in particular the ceramic plate 4are no longer required and the cooling device 1 is constructed in a more compact manner. The electronic units 9 of the power electronics 7 are fixed to the contacting surface 5 for example by way of a soldering method below 450 C. and in this exemplary embodiment are protected by the protective coating 10 from mechanical damage and external influences.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows the cooling device 1 according to the invention with the insulating layer 3b, wherein the contacting surface 5 is fixed to the insulating layer 3b by a wet coating method or by a physical vapour deposition. Compared with the cooling device 1 shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive coating 12 is no longer required here and the cooling device 1 is constructed in an even more compact manner. In order to design the cooling device 1 in an even more compact manner, the cooling device 1 can be embodied for example without the protective coating 10.

[0042] In the cooling device 1 according to the invention, the contacting surface 5 with the power electronics 7 is fixed to the cooling plate 2 over a large area with reduced expenditure. The cooling device 1 according to the invention makes possible an efficient dissipation of the heat generated in the power electronics 7 and can, furthermore, be produced in a more compact, cost-effective and quicker manner.