Power converter package structure and method

Abstract

An embodiment power converter package comprises a semiconductor die, an output inductor, a plurality of input capacitors and output capacitors. The semiconductor die, the output inductor and the plurality of capacitors are mounted on a lead frame and connected one to another through various pads on the lead frame. The semiconductor die comprises a high side switch, a low side switch and a driver. The power converter package is electrically coupled to an external pulse width modulation controller through a variety of input and output pads.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a plurality of power blocks, each of which comprises: a first semiconductor die mounted on a lead frame, wherein the first semiconductor die is electrically coupled to a regulator controller located outside the power block, wherein the first semiconductor die comprises: a high side switch comprising: a first drain coupled to a plurality of input capacitors; a first gate coupled to a driver; and a first source; a low side switch comprising: a second drain coupled to the first source; a second gate coupled to the driver; and a second source coupled to ground; and the driver comprising: an input terminal coupled to the regulator controller; and various outputs coupled to the high side switch and the low side switch; an inductor mounted on the lead frame, wherein the inductor is coupled to the first semiconductor die through a plurality of power pads on the lead frame; the plurality of input capacitors mounted on the lead frame, wherein the plurality of input capacitors are coupled to the first semiconductor die; and a plurality of output capacitors mounted on the lead frame, wherein the plurality of output capacitors are coupled to the first semiconductor die; and the regulator controller coupled to the plurality of power blocks.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a resistor connected between two signal inputs of the first semiconductor die.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein: the resistor is configured such that a delay between two gate drive signals of a buck converter embedded in the first semiconductor die is adjustable based upon a resistance value of the resistor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein: the first semiconductor die comprises a first signal output reporting a current flowing through a buck converter embedded in the first semiconductor die.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the first semiconductor die comprises a second signal output reporting a junction temperature of the first semiconductor die.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an ON/OFF signal wherein the ON/OFF signal is configured such that: the first semiconductor die is controlled by the regulator controller when the ON/OFF signal is enabled; and the first semiconductor die operates in an inactive mode when the ON/OFF signal is disabled.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein: the first semiconductor die receives a variety of control singles from the regulator controller.

8. A system comprising: a plurality of power blocks coupled between a bus voltage and a load, wherein: each power block has at least one input coupled to a controller; and each power block comprises a semiconductor die mounted on a lead frame, an inductor mounted on the lead frame, a plurality of input capacitors mounted on the lead frame and a plurality of output capacitors mounted on the lead frame, wherein the input capacitors are placed between two terminals of the bus voltage and the output capacitors are placed between two terminals of the load, wherein each power block comprises: a high side switch comprising: a first drain coupled to the plurality of input capacitors; a first gate coupled to a driver; and a first source; a low side switch comprising: a second drain coupled to the first source; a second gate coupled to the driver; and a second source coupled to ground; and the driver comprising: an input terminal coupled to the controller; and various outputs coupled to the high side switch and the low side switch.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein: the semiconductor die is electrically coupled to the controller; and the inductor is coupled to the semiconductor die through a plurality of power pads on the lead frame.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein: the high side switch, the low side switch and the inductor form a step-down converter.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein: outputs of the plurality of power blocks are stacked together to achieve a higher output voltage.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein: the plurality of power blocks are configured to operate in parallel.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein: the controller is located outside the lead frame; and each power block is attached to the lead frame through a plurality of solder bumps.

14. A system comprising: a plurality of power blocks, each of which is a lead frame and comprises: a first semiconductor die electrically coupled to a regulator controller, wherein the first semiconductor die comprises: a high side switch comprising: a first drain coupled to a plurality of input capacitors; a first gate coupled to a driver; and a first source; a low side switch comprising: a second drain coupled to the first source; a second gate coupled to the driver; and a second source coupled to ground; and the driver comprising: an input terminal coupled to the regulator controller; and various outputs coupled to the high side switch and the low side switch; an inductor coupled to the first semiconductor die through a plurality of power pads on the lead frame, wherein a ground trace is between two pads directly connected to the inductor; the plurality of input capacitors mounted on the lead frame and placed between two terminals of an input power source; and a plurality of output capacitors mounted on the lead frame and placed between two terminals of a load; and a controller coupled to the plurality of power blocks, wherein the controller is outside the lead frame.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein: each power block is a buck converter.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein: negative terminals of the plurality of input capacitors and negative terminals of the plurality of output capacitors share a same pad on the lead frame.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein: an L-shaped portion of a ground pad is underneath the inductor.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein: an output pad Vo is an L-shaped pad.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein: the output pad Vo and an input pad Vin are separated by a ground pad.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a power conversion scheme for providing regulated voltages in accordance with an embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the power block shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates in further detail a schematic diagram of the power block shown in FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a lead frame in accordance with an embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a monolithic semiconductor die mounted on a lead frame and a variety of passive components mounted on the same lead frame; and

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates three semiconductor dies mounted on a lead frame and a variety of passive components mounted on the same lead frame.

(8) Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the various embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(9) The making and using of the presently preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

(10) The present invention will be described with respect to preferred embodiments in a specific context, namely a buck dc-dc converter having a high integration package. The invention may also be applied, however, to a variety of dc-dc converters including buck converters, boost converters, buck-boost converters, flyback converters, forward converters, half bridge and full bridge converters and the like.

(11) A buck converter may comprise a high side switch, a low side switch, a magnetic field storage component such as an inductor and an input electric field storage component such as an input capacitor and an output electric field storage component such as an output capacitor formed by a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel. In accordance with the operation principles of buck converters, the high side switch and the low side switch operate in a complementary mode. The ratio of the conduction time of the high side switch over the switching period of a buck converter is referred to as the duty cycle of the buck converter. The duty cycle is set by a PWM controller or the like.

(12) In a telecommunication network power system, buck dc-dc converters may be implemented by different power structures. A buck dc-dc converter may comprise pre-packaged semiconductor devices, such as power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), MOSFET gate drivers and PWM controllers. In addition, the buck dc-dc converter may comprise various passive components such as input and output power capacitors and power inductors. All components of the buck dc-dc converter may be connected one to another by various PCB traces. However, the parasitic inductance produced by the PCB traces may cause significant power losses when the buck dc-dc converter operates at a high switching frequency. As semiconductor technologies evolve, different levels of package integration may be employed to reduce power losses so that a buck converter can achieve higher efficiency. The package integration of dc-dc regulators can be divided into three major categories: switchers with integrated MOSFETs, integrated driver MOSFET (DrMOS) power blocks and system-on-a-chip buck converters.

(13) A switcher with integrated MOSFETs may comprise a pair of MOSFETs, a MOSFET driver and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller. A DrMOS power block, as indicated by its name, may comprise a pair of MOSFET switches and the corresponding driver. A system-on-a-chip buck converter may comprise all major components of a buck converter such as a pair of switches, a driver, input and output capacitors, an inductor and a PWM controller. As indicated by its name, a single chip can provide all functions of a buck converter. On-board solutions show various advantages in comparison with power modules. However, these integration methods may have some drawbacks. For example, the first two methods mentioned above may have significant power losses because some passive components such as inductors are not included in the package. The third method may not provide application flexibility because the controller and its associated components are integrated into the package.

(14) Referring initially to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a power conversion scheme for providing regulated voltages is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment. In response to the detected voltages (not shown) at the outputs of a plurality of power blocks 100, a controller 102 is capable of generating a variety of control signals used to control the operation of each power block 100. The controller 102 may employ a variety of power converter control schemes such as current mode control, voltage mode control, hysteresis control, any combination thereof and the like. The controller 102 may control a power block 100. Alternatively, the controller 102 may control a plurality of power blocks 100 to form a multi-phase converter or a multi-output converter. Each power block 100 has an input coupled to a bus voltage Vin. In accordance with an embodiment, the bus voltage Vin is a regulated voltage of 12V, which is generated by an isolated dc-dc converter (not shown) from a 48V telecommunication bus (not shown). The power block 100 has an output coupled to a load 104. Depending on the voltages from the power block 100, the load 104 may be a core processor, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a memory circuit, general purpose input/output circuits and the like. The detailed schematic diagram of the power block 100 will be described below with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3.

(15) It should be noted that while FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of power blocks 100 operating independently between the input bus Vin and various loads 104, this block diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications that are within the scope of the present invention. For example, a plurality of power blocks 100 may be stacked together so that a higher output voltage can be achieved. On the other hand, a plurality of power blocks 100 may operate in parallel so that the output of the plurality of power blocks 100 may supply a high current to the load 104.

(16) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the power block 100 shown in FIG. 1. A buck converter may comprise passive components such as capacitors, active components such as MOSFET switches, a driver 202 and a controller 102. The controller 102 may see a deterioration in performance when the operation temperature of the controller is elevated to a high level. In order to maintain a favorable operation condition for the controller 102, the majority of the buck converter shown in FIG. 2 except the controller 102 is fabricated on a single lead frame. By separating the power train from the controller 102, the controller 102 may operate reliably even if the temperature of the power block 100 is elevated to a higher level. The implementation of fabricating the power block 100 on a lead frame will be illustrated in detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In sum, an advantageous feature of this configuration is that the separation between the power block 100 and the controller 102 helps to prevent thermal stress from affecting the controller 102. In addition, the separation between the power block 100 and the controller 102 provides application flexibility for a system designer to optimize system performance.

(17) The power block 100 may comprise an input capacitor C1, an output capacitor C2, a high side switch SW1, a low side switch SW2, an inductor L1 and a driver 202. As shown in FIG. 2, the input capacitor C1 is coupled between two terminals of the input bus. In accordance with an embodiment, the input capacitor C1 is a ceramic capacitor having a range from 0.1 uF to 100 uF. It should be recognized that while FIG. 1 illustrates a power block 100 with one input capacitor, the power block 100 could accommodate any number of capacitors. A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one input capacitor is illustrated for simplicity. Likewise, the output capacitor C2 is coupled between two terminals of the output of the power block 100. In accordance with an embodiment, the output capacitor C2 is a ceramic capacitor having a range from 1 uF to 100 uF.

(18) As shown in FIG. 2, both high side switch SW1 and low side switch SW2 are n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistors. The high side switch SW1 has a drain coupled to the positive terminal of the input bus, and a source coupled to the drain of the low side switch SW2. It should be noted that the junction point between the high side switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 is commonly referred to as the phase of a buck dc-dc converter. As shown in FIG. 2, both the gates of the high switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 are controlled by the controller 102 through the driver 202. The driver 202 can amplify the small signal control signals from the controller 102 to a higher level so that both the high side switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 can turn on or off sharply to avoid unnecessary switching losses. The driver 202 is powered by the input voltage Vin (not shown but illustrated in FIG. 3).

(19) FIG. 3 illustrates in further detail a schematic diagram of the power block 100 shown in FIG. 2. The power block 100 may comprise three power terminals, namely Vin, Vo and GND. In addition, the power block 100 comprises a variety of signal terminals including Io, Tj, ON/OFF, PWM, X1 and X2. The power block 100 may be able to measure the current flowing through the power block and report the measured current value through the signal terminal Io. Furthermore, the power block 100 is capable of reporting the junction temperature of the power block 100.

(20) In accordance with an embodiment, the power block 100 may employ a monolithic semiconductor die. In other words, the high side switch SW1, the low side switch SW2 and the driver 202 may be fabricated on a single semiconductor die. The driver 202 may comprise a temperature detection circuit to detect the junction temperature of the monolithic semiconductor die and report the junction temperature through the signal terminal Tj to an external thermal management unit (not shown). The ON/OFF signal terminal is used to control the operation of the power block 100. In response to an enable signal applied to the ON/OFF signal terminal, the power block enters an active mode in which both the high switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 are controlled by the PWM signal from the controller 102 (illustrated in FIG. 2). On the other hand, when a disable signal is applied to the ON/OFF terminal, both the high side switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 are shut down immediately.

(21) FIG. 3 further illustrates a variety of features of the power block 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the power block 100 may comprise two control terminals X1 and X2. An external resistor R1 is coupled between control terminals X1 and X2. By employing the resistor R1 having different values, the operation parameters such as the delay time between two gate drive signals of the high side switch SW1 and the low side switch SW2 may be adjusted accordingly. Alternatively, the resistor R1 can be used to adjust the current sense gain. It should be noted while FIG. 3 illustrates the resistor R1 is placed outside the power block 100, the resistor R1 may be integrated into the power block 100. It should further be noted that FIG. 3 illustrates only six signal terminals of the power block 100 that may include a variety of signal terminals. The number of signal terminals illustrated herein is limited solely for the purpose of clearly illustrating the inventive aspects of the various embodiments. The present invention is not limited to any specific number of signal terminals.

(22) FIG. 3 further illustrates other features of the power block 100. The power block 100 may comprise a reference voltage REF. In accordance with an embodiment, the reference voltage REF is of a 5V voltage. In order to generate a 5V reference voltage, the power block 100 may comprise an auxiliary power converter (included as part of driver 202). The auxiliary power converter may be implemented by a buck dc-dc converter, a linear regulator, a switching capacitor regulator, any combination thereof and the like. The operation principles of linear regulators and switching capacitor regulators are well known in the art, and hence are not discussed in further detail to avoid repetition.

(23) The power block 100 may comprise a variety of on-chip capacitors. As shown in FIG. 3, a capacitor C3 is placed between the reference voltage REF and ground. In accordance with an embodiment, the capacitor C3 may be a ceramic capacitor having a capacitance range from 0.1 uF to 10 uF. The capacitor C3 is used to attenuate noise so that the reference voltage REF remains constant with different operation and temperature variations. Similarly, a capacitor C4 may be placed between the Vin terminal of the driver 202 and ground. The capacitor C4 helps to prevent switching noise from interfering with the operation of the driver 202. Likewise, the capacitor C4 is a ceramic capacitor having a range from 0.1 uF to 10 uF.

(24) The power block 100 further comprises a bootstrap capacitor C5. As shown in FIG. 3, the high side switch SW1 is an NMOS transistor. In order to reliably turn on the high side switch SW1, the gate drive voltage at G1 should be higher than Vin. Such a higher voltage can be generated by a bootstrap capacitor. The bootstrap capacitor is coupled to Vin via a diode or a controlled switch built in the driver 202. When the phase of the buck converter is low, the bootstrap capacitor C5 is charged up to a voltage level approximately equal to Vin. When the phase of the buck converter goes high, the voltage across the capacitor C5, which is approximately equal to Vin, can be used by the driver 202 to drive the high side switch SW1. The capacitor C5 may be a ceramic capacitor having a range from 0.01 uF to 10 uF, preferably 1 uF.

(25) FIG. 4 illustrates a lead frame in accordance with an embodiment. The lead frame 400 is formed of thermally and electrically conductive materials. The lead frame pattern shown in FIG. 4 may be fabricated using a stamping and etching process. The process of fabricating the lead frame 400 is not discussed in further detail herein to avoid repetition as it is well know in the art. The lead frame 400 comprises a variety of pads. The pads can be divided into two groups: signal pads and power pads. As shown in FIG. 4, the power pads comprise Vin, Vo, GND and Phase. The signal pads may comprise G1, G2, REF, Io, Tj, ON/OFF, Optional, Vbs, PWM, X1 and X2.

(26) It should be noted that the shapes of the power pads and signal pads in FIG. 4 are merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications within the scope of the present invention. For example, other shapes such as oval or circular are within the scope of the present disclosure. It should further be noted while FIG. 4 illustrates a variety of small signal functions and the corresponding small signal pads on the lead frame 400, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the lead frame 400 is merely an example. In consideration of the needs of a buck dc-dc converter, the small signal pads can be added, removed, replaced and rearranged.

(27) FIG. 5 illustrates a monolithic semiconductor die mounted on the lead frame 400, and a variety of passive components mounted on the same lead frame. The monolithic die 422 may be mounted on the lead frame 400 using conductive adhesive or high temperature solder. More particularly, high temperature solder may be printed on the lead frame 400 using a stencil in consideration of electrical connection needs. Then, the monolithic semiconductor die 422 is attached to the lead frame 400 through the solder bumps between the monolithic semiconductor die 422 and the power pads on the lead frame 400. The electrical connections between the monolithic semiconductor die 422 and the lead frame 400 are done through the solder bumps. Alternatively, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the electrical connections between the monolithic semiconductor die 422 and the lead frame 400 can be done using wire bonding.

(28) FIG. 5 further illustrates various passive components mounted on the lead frame 400. As shown in FIG. 5, an inductor 420 is mounted on the lead frame 400 through the power pad Vo and the power pad Phase. A plurality of input capacitors such as 402 and 404 are mounted on the lead frame 400 through the power pad Vin and the power pad GND. Likewise, an output capacitor 406 is mounted between the power pad Vo and the power pad GND. Furthermore, there may be various small signal capacitors mounted on the small signal pads. The small signal capacitors are connected between different signal paths. More particularly, a capacitor 412 is mounted next to the Vin terminal of the monolithic semiconductor die 422 for attenuating noise interference. Similarly, a capacitor 414 is mounted between the small signal pad REF and GND to keep the reference voltage REF constant during different operation conditions.

(29) A bootstrap capacitor 408 is mounted between the small signal pad Vbs and the power pad Phase. A resistor 410 is mounted between the small signal pads X1 and X2. It should be noted that while FIG. 5 illustrates the resistor 410 is mounted on the lead frame 400, one skilled in the art will recognize that mounting a resistor on the lead frame is simply one manner of adjusting operating parameters of the buck dc-dc converter and that other and alternate embodiments could be employed (such as employing an external resistor) and that other solutions, (e.g., a digital control signal from a digital controller to the monolithic semiconductor die 422, etc.) could be employed for this function.

(30) FIG. 5 illustrates a buck dc-dc converter using a monolithic die. While it is understood that the buck dc-dc converter may employ multiple semiconductor dies, one monolithic semiconductor die is illustrated for simplicity. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a buck dc-dc converter having three semiconductor dies. By slightly modifying the lead frame 400, the buck dc-dc converter may employ three semiconductor dies, namely a first semiconductor die 602 for a high side switch, a second semiconductor die 604 for a low side switch and a third semiconductor die 606 for a driver. In addition, in order to further reduce the size of the lead frame 400, the first semiconductor die 602 may be stacked on top of the second semiconductor die 604 using metal bumps placed between them. Alternatively, the first semiconductor die 602 may be stacked on top of the second semiconductor die 604 using metal clips. The first semiconductor die 602 and the second semiconductor die 604 may be further connected with the lead frame using bonding wires.

(31) Although embodiments of the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

(32) Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.