US-20260129743-A1 - PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS FOR SIMPLIFIED HEATSINK ASSEMBLIES

US20260129743A1US 20260129743 A1US20260129743 A1US 20260129743A1US-20260129743-A1

Abstract

A PCB includes a plurality of insulating layers, first, second, third, and fourth copper areas, first and second plurality of vias, and at least one inner copper area. The insulating layers include a first side and a second side opposite the first side and a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter. The first and second copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively. The third and fourth copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively at a finger of the plurality of fingers. The first plurality of vias are electrically coupled to the first copper area and partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area. The second plurality of vias electrically couple the third and fourth copper areas together, and the at least one inner copper area electrically couples the first and second plurality of vias together.

Inventors

John Andrew Trelford
Donald P. Rearick
Pedro Angel Fernandez
Stephen Lawrence Orona, JR.

Assignees

ACLEAP POWER INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . A printed circuit board (PCB) comprising: a plurality of insulating layers comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the plurality of insulating layers includes a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter of the plurality of insulating layers; first and second copper areas disposed on the first and second sides respectively; third and fourth copper areas disposed on the first and second sides respectively, wherein the third and fourth copper areas are disposed at a finger of the plurality of fingers; a first plurality of vias electrically coupled to the first copper area, wherein the first plurality of vias partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area; a second plurality of vias electrically coupling the third and fourth copper areas together; and at least one inner copper area electrically coupling the first and second plurality of vias together.
2 . The PCB of claim 1 , wherein: the first plurality of vias comprise controlled depth blind vias and/or buried vias.
3 . The PCB of claim 1 , wherein: the second plurality of vias comprise through-hole vias.
4 . The PCB of claim 1 , wherein: the first plurality of vias partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area such that the first copper area is electrically isolated from the second copper area by an insulating layer of the plurality of insulating layers.
5 . The PCB of claim 1 , wherein: the at least one inner copper area comprises two inner copper areas on different layers of the plurality of insulating layers.
6 . A power module, comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising: a plurality of insulating layers comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the plurality of insulating layers includes a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter of the plurality of insulating layers; first and second copper areas disposed on the first and second sides respectively; third and fourth copper areas disposed on the first and second sides respectively, wherein the third and fourth copper areas are disposed at a finger of the plurality of fingers; a first plurality of vias electrically coupled to the first copper area, wherein the first plurality of vias partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area; a second plurality of vias electrically coupling the third and fourth copper areas together; and at least one inner copper area electrically coupling the first and second plurality of vias together; a power semiconductor device having a power terminal soldered to the first copper area; and a heatsink soldered to the second copper area.
7 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the first plurality of vias comprise controlled depth blind vias and/or buried vias.
8 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the second plurality of vias comprise through-hole vias.
9 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the first plurality of vias partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area such that the first copper area is electrically isolated from the second copper area by an insulating layer of the plurality of insulating layers.
10 . The power module of claim 6 , further comprising: another heatsink soldered to the first copper area.
11 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the power semiconductor device includes at least two pins, each electrically connected to copper areas disposed at different fingers of the plurality of fingers.
12 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the at least one inner copper area comprises two inner copper areas on different layers of the plurality of insulating layers.
13 . The power module of claim 6 , wherein: the heatsink comprises a folded fin heatsink.
14 . A power module, comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first copper area disposed on a first side of the PCB, a second copper area disposed on a second side of the PCB opposite the first side, and third and/or fourth copper areas disposed on the first and/or second sides, respectively, wherein the first and second copper areas are electrically isolated from each other, and wherein the third and/or fourth copper areas are electrically coupled to the first copper area; a power semiconductor device having a power terminal soldered to the first copper area; and a heatsink soldered to the second copper area.
15 . The power module of claim 14 , further comprising: a connector soldered to the third and/or fourth copper areas.
16 . The power module of claim 14 , wherein: the PCB includes a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter of the PCB, and the third and/or fourth copper areas are disposed at a finger of the plurality of fingers.
17 . The power module of claim 16 , wherein: the power semiconductor device includes at least two pins, each electrically connected to copper areas disposed at different fingers of the plurality of fingers.
18 . The power module of claim 14 , wherein the PCB further comprises: a first plurality of vias electrically coupled to the first copper area that partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area; at least one inner copper area electrically coupled to the first plurality of vias; and a second plurality of vias and/or plated through holes electrically coupling the third and/or fourth copper areas to the at least one inner copper area.
19 . The power module of claim 14 , wherein: the first copper area and the third copper area are a same copper layer on the first side of the PCB.
20 . The power module of claim 14 , wherein: the heatsink comprises a folded fin heatsink.

Description

BACKGROUND The field of the disclosure relates to printed circuit boards (PCBs), and in particular, to PCBs for power modules that include power semiconductor devices and heatsinks. Power converter modules include power semiconductor devices, and depending on the power output of the power converter module, may include heatsinks that dissipate heat generated by the power semiconductor devices. The power semiconductor devices and the heatsinks may be manually installed on a PCB, forming a power converter module that may be subsequently connected to a main PCB. FIG. 1 depicts a front perspective view of a heatsink assembly 100 as known, and FIGS. 2 and 3 depict a front view and side view, respectively, of the heatsink assembly 100. In FIGS. 1-3, heatsink assembly 100 includes a heatsink 102, four through-hole leaded power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110, four screws 112, 114, 116, 118, and an electrical insulator 120. Prior to installing heatsink assembly 100 onto a PCB, such as a PCB used as a power converter module, heatsink assembly 100 may be hand-assembled. During the hand assembly, plastic lead insulators 122, 124 are fit over the pins of power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110, electrical insulator 120 is placed between power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 and heatsink 102, and screws 112, 114, 116, 118 are used to secure power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 to heatsink 102. Electrical insulator 120 is used to electrically isolate metal areas on the back of power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 (not shown) from heatsink 102. The metal areas on the back of power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 are typically electrically and thermally coupled to a high power sections of power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110, such as a drain of a metal-oxide field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and are used to improve the thermal conductivity between the die(s) of power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 and heatsink 102. Heatsink assembly 100 may also include one or more leaded thermistors used to measure the temperatures of heatsink assembly 100, which may be hand-soldered and manually mounted. The manufacturing and assembly of this type of heat sink assembly is labor-intensive and prone to errors. For example, the misalignment of the pins for power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 may result in the pins not aligning with holes in the PCB for the power converter module, resulting in a manual re-work for heatsink assembly 100. In another example, metal shavings, metal particles, and/or defects in electrical insulator 120 may result in shorts between power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 and heatsink 102, which is undesirable. Shorts between power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110 and heatsink 102 may result in failures in power semiconductors 104, 106, 108, 110, unexpected voltages at heatsink 102, and/or unintended magnetic fields generated by heatsink 102. Thus, it is desirable to improve the assembly process for semiconductor devices and heatsinks used for power converter modules, such as DC-DC converter modules. BRIEF DESCRIPTION In one embodiment, a PCB is provided. The PCB includes a plurality of insulating layers, first and second copper areas, third and fourth copper areas, a first plurality of vias, a second plurality of vias, and at least one inner copper area. The plurality of insulating layers include a first side and a second side opposite the first side, where the plurality of insulating layers include a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter of the plurality of insulating layers. The first and second copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively. The third and fourth copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively, where the third and fourth copper areas are disposed at a finger of the plurality of fingers. The first plurality of vias are electrically coupled to the first copper area, where the first plurality of vias partially extend from the first copper area towards the second copper area. The second plurality of vias electrically couple the third and fourth copper areas together, and the at least one inner copper area electrically couples the first and second plurality of vias together. In another embodiment, a power module is provided. The power module includes a PCB, a power semiconductor device, and a heatsink. The PCB includes a plurality of insulating layers, first and second copper areas, third and fourth copper areas, a first plurality of vias, a second plurality of vias, and at least one inner copper area. The plurality of insulating layers include a first side and a second side opposite the first side, where the plurality of insulating layers include a plurality of fingers disposed along a perimeter of the plurality of insulating layers. The first and second copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively. The third and fourth copper areas are disposed on the first and second sides respectively, where the thi