US-12628303-B2 - Half-bridge switch arrangement

US12628303B2US 12628303 B2US12628303 B2US 12628303B2US-12628303-B2

Abstract

A half-bridge switch arrangement has a high-side switch having a plurality of parallel-connected first semiconductor switching elements, a low-side switch having a plurality of parallel-connected second semiconductor switching elements, a positive busbar, to which a terminal of each of the first semiconductor switching elements of the high-side switch is electrically connected, a negative busbar, to which a terminal of each of the second semiconductor switching elements of the low-side switch is electrically connected, and a heat sink, the heat sink having a recess and two plateau sections which are located in an elevated position relative to the recess, the recess being bounded by the two plateau section, wherein the first semiconductor switching elements and the second semiconductor switching elements are arranged on an upper side of the two plateau sections, wherein the positive busbar and the negative busbar are arranged one above the other within the recess.

Inventors

Nima Saadat
Timm Lohmann
Kaveh HAGHVERDI
Murugaperumal Devaraja

Assignees

SEG AUTOMOTIVE GERMANY GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240227
Priority Date: 20230303

Claims (14)

1 . A half-bridge switch arrangement ( 1 , 100 ), comprising: a high-side switch ( 10 , 110 ) comprising a plurality of parallel-connected first semiconductor switching elements ( 11 , 111 ), a low-side switch ( 20 , 120 ) comprising a plurality of parallel-connected second semiconductor switching elements ( 21 , 121 ), a positive busbar ( 130 ), to which a first terminal of each of the first semiconductor switching elements ( 11 , 111 ) of the high-side switch ( 10 , 110 ) is electrically connected, a negative busbar ( 140 ), to which a second terminal of each of the second semiconductor switching elements ( 21 , 121 ) of the low-side switch ( 20 , 120 ) is electrically connected, and a heat sink ( 180 ), wherein the heat sink ( 180 ) has a recess ( 181 ), a first plateau section ( 182 ) which is elevated relative to the recess ( 181 ) and a second plateau section ( 183 ) which is elevated relative to the recess ( 181 ), wherein the recess ( 181 ) is bounded by the first and second plateau sections ( 182 , 183 ), wherein the heat sink is formed in a stepped shape, with the first plateau section forming a first step, with the recess adjoining the first plateau section forming a second step that is lower than the first step, and with the second plateau section adjoining the recess forming a third step that is higher than the second step, wherein the first semiconductor switching elements ( 11 , 111 ) and the second semiconductor switching elements ( 21 , 121 ) are arranged on an upper side ( 182 ′, 183 ′) of the first and second plateau sections ( 182 , 183 ), wherein the positive busbar ( 130 ) and the negative busbar ( 140 ) are arranged one above the other within the recess ( 181 ).
2 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the respective terminals ( 115 , 125 ) of the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) and the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ) are bent or kinked into the recess ( 181 ) for connection to the positive busbar ( 130 ) and the negative busbar ( 140 ), respectively.
3 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein at least one switching element connection channel ( 101 ) is provided in the recess ( 181 ) for guiding the respective terminals ( 115 , 125 ) of the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) and the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ) for electrical connection to the respective busbar ( 130 , 140 ).
4 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a printed circuit board ( 160 ), wherein the printed circuit board ( 160 ) is arranged above the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) and the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ).
5 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein at least one third terminal ( 116 ) of each of the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) and at least one third terminal ( 126 ) of each of the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ) is bent or kinked in the direction of the printed circuit board ( 160 ) for connection to the printed circuit board ( 160 ).
6 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein on the upper side ( 182 ′, 183 ′) of each of the first and second plateau sections ( 182 , 183 ) at least one elevation ( 185 , 186 ) is provided, on which the printed circuit board ( 160 ) is arranged.
7 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising an output-phase busbar ( 170 ), to which a second terminal of each of the first semiconductor switching elements ( 11 , 111 ) and a first terminal of each of the second semiconductor switching elements ( 21 , 121 ) is electrically connected, wherein the positive busbar ( 130 ), the negative busbar ( 140 ) and the output-phase busbar ( 170 ) are arranged one above the other in the recess ( 181 ).
8 . The half-bridge switch assembly according to claim 7 , further comprising at least one output-phase electrical insulating layer ( 195 , 196 ), wherein the output-phase busbar ( 170 ) is electrically insulated by the at least one output-phase insulating layer ( 195 , 196 ).
9 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a capacitor unit ( 150 ) comprising at least one capacitor element, wherein the capacitor unit ( 150 ) is arranged on the busbars ( 130 , 140 , 170 ) which are arranged one above the other in the recess ( 181 ).
10 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein a first terminal ( 151 ) of the capacitor unit ( 150 ) is electrically connected to the positive busbar ( 130 ), and wherein a second terminal ( 152 ) of the capacitor unit ( 150 ) is electrically connected to the negative busbar ( 140 ), wherein a capacitor connection channel ( 153 ) is provided to guide the respective terminal ( 151 , 152 ) of the capacitor unit ( 150 ) for electrical connection to the respective busbar ( 130 , 140 ).
11 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 9 , further comprising a printed circuit board ( 160 ), wherein the printed circuit board ( 160 ) is arranged above the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) and the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ), wherein the printed circuit board ( 160 ) has a recess ( 161 ) through which the capacitor unit ( 150 ) projects.
12 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising an electrical busbar insulating layer ( 191 ), wherein the positive busbar ( 130 ) and the negative busbar ( 140 ) are electrically insulated from each other by the busbar insulating layer ( 191 ).
13 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one electrical heat sink insulating layer ( 192 , 193 , 194 ), wherein the positive busbar ( 130 ) and the negative busbar ( 140 ), further in particular the output-phase busbar, are electrically insulated from the heat sink ( 180 ) by the at least one electrical heat sink insulating layer ( 192 , 193 , 194 ).
14 . The half-bridge switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one first electrical switching element insulating layer ( 112 ) and at least one second electrical switching element insulating layer ( 122 ), wherein the first semiconductor switching elements ( 111 ) are electrically insulated from the heat sink ( 180 ) by the at least one first electrical switching element insulating layer ( 112 ), and wherein the second semiconductor switching elements ( 121 ) are electrically insulated from the heat sink ( 180 ) by the at least one second electrical switching element insulating layer ( 122 ).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102023105355.8 filed Mar. 3, 2023, titled “Half-bridge switch arrangement,” which is hereby incorporated in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a half-bridge switch arrangement. BACKGROUND Half-bridge switch arrangements can be used in power converters, for example, as inverters for alternating conversion between DC and AC voltages. For example, such half-bridge switch arrangements can be used in power modules in (motor) vehicles to convert a voltage between a DC on-board power supply and an electrical machine that can be operated with multi-phase AC voltage. Such half-bridge switch arrangements usually have one half-bridge per phase with one high-side switch and one low-side switch. Individual, discrete semiconductor switching elements can be used as high-side or low-side switches, for example individual transistors such as FETs, MOSFETs, IGBTs, etc., or a parallel circuit consisting of a large number of such discrete semiconductor switching elements. This type of parallel connection of discrete components as high-side switches or low-side switches enables high power scalability and high power or current levels to be achieved. However, this often results in a high DC link inductance and therefore a high total inductance of the commutation loop. It can also often prove difficult to cool such half-bridge switch arrangements sufficiently in order to keep temperatures at desired values at high currents and high switching frequencies. SUMMARY Against this background, a half-bridge switch arrangement with the features of claim 1 is proposed. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the subclaims and the following description. The half-bridge switch arrangement has a high-side switch comprising a plurality of parallel-connected, discrete first semiconductor switching elements and a low-side switch comprising a plurality of parallel-connected, discrete second semiconductor switching elements. The individual semiconductor switching elements can each be designed, for example, as a transistor, e.g. as FETs, MOSFETs, IGBTs, etc. Furthermore, the half-bridge switch arrangement has a positive busbar (“B+ busbar”), to which a first terminal of each of the first semiconductor switching elements of the high-side switch, in particular in each case a drain terminal, is electrically connected, and a negative busbar (“B-busbar”), to which a second terminal of each of the second semiconductor switching elements of the low-side switch, in particular in each case a source terminal, is electrically connected. For example, the positive and negative busbars can each be made of or comprise copper. The half-bridge switch arrangement also has a heat sink, which is suitably provided and set up for cooling the busbars and the semiconductor switching elements. For example, the heat sink can be fluid-cooled and have an inlet and outlet for a corresponding cooling fluid. The cooling fluid can comprise oil, water, air, etc. The heat sink has a recess or notch or groove and a first and a second plateau section or plateau area that are raised relative to the recess, with the recess being bounded by the first and the second plateau section. In particular, the heat sink is essentially rectangular in shape and has the recess, which is particularly elongated, in a central area. In particular, the recess is also cuboid in shape. The upper side of the recess is in particular parallel to the upper side of the plateau sections. In particular, the recess can extend over an entire dimension in a first direction of the heat sink, e.g. over the entire length or the entire width of the heat sink, so that a plateau section adjoins each of the two opposite side surfaces of the recess. The heat sink is designed or formed in a stepped shape, with the first plateau section forming a first step, with the recess adjoining the first plateau section forming a second step that is lower than the first step, and with the second plateau section adjoining the recess forming a third step that is higher than the second step, in particular just as high as the first step. The first semiconductor switching elements and the second semiconductor switching elements are arranged on an upper side of the respective first and second plateau sections, so that an outer surface of the individual semiconductor switching elements is expediently in thermal contact with the upper side of one of the plateau sections. In particular, the individual semiconductor switching elements are arranged on the respective plateau section in each case adjacent to the recess. For example, the first semiconductor switching elements can be arranged on the upper side of the first plateau section and the second semiconductor switching elements can be arranged on the upper side of the second plateau section. The respective main extension plane of the individual semiconductor