Power semiconductor device module having mechanical corner press-fit anchors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10347549-B2
Application number	US-201615376662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2016
Priority date	Apr 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A power semiconductor device module includes a metal baseplate and a plastic housing that together form a tray. Power electronics are disposed in the tray. A plastic cap covers the tray. Electrical press-fit terminals are disposed along the periphery of the tray. Each electrical terminal has a press-fit pin portion that sticks up through a hole in the cap. In addition, the module includes four mechanical corner press-fit anchors disposed outside the tray. One end of each anchor is embedded into the housing. The other end is an upwardly extending press-fit pin portion. The module is manufactured and sold with the press-fit pin portions of the electrical terminals and the mechanical corner anchors unattached to any printed circuit board (PCB). The mechanical anchors help to secure the module to a printed circuit board. Due to the anchors, screws or bolts are not needed to hold the module to the PCB.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power semiconductor device module comprising:
a metal baseplate;
a housing frame formed of an electrically insulative material, wherein the housing frame and the metal base plate fit together to form a shallow tray with an upper rim;
a cap formed of an electrically insulative material disposed on the upper rim, the cap having a plurality of peripheral holes formed therein;
a plurality of electrical press-fit terminals, wherein each electrical press-fit terminal extends through a corresponding one of the peripheral holes such that a press-fit pin portion of the electrical press-fit terminal extends upward and away from the cap in a direction perpendicular to a planar bottom surface of the metal baseplate; and
a plurality of mechanical corner press-fit anchors disposed outside the upper rim, wherein each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors has a press-fit pin portion that extends upward and away from the housing frame in a direction perpendicular to the planar bottom surface of the metal baseplate.

2. The power semiconductor device module of claim 1 , wherein no press-fit pin portion of any of the plurality of electrical press-fit terminals is press-fit connected to any printed circuit board, and wherein no press-fit pin portion of any of the four mechanical corner press-fit anchors is press-fit connected to any printed circuit board.

3. The power semiconductor device module of claim 2 , wherein each press-fit pin portion of each of the electrical press-fit terminals has a shape taken from the group consisting of: a post shape, a fork shape, and an eye-of-the-needle shape, and wherein each press-fit pin portion of each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors has a shape taken from the group consisting of: a post shape, a fork shape, and an eye-of-the-needle shape.

4. The power semiconductor device module of claim 2 , wherein none of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors is electrically connected to any circuitry disposed in the power semiconductor device module.

5. The power semiconductor device module of claim 2 , wherein each of the press-fit pin portions of each of the electrical press-fit terminals has a first cross-sectional area taken in a plane at a top surface of the power semiconductor device module, wherein each of the press-fit pin portions of each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors has a second cross-sectional area taken in a plane at a top surface of the housing frame, wherein the second cross-sectional area is greater than the first cross-sectional area.

6. The power semiconductor device module of claim 2 , wherein the cap has a substantially rectangular shape when the power semiconductor device module is considered from a top-down perspective, and wherein the plurality of peripheral holes forms a peripheral ring of holes that extends along four peripheral edges of the cap when the power semiconductor device module is considered from the top-down perspective.

7. The power semiconductor device module of claim 2 , wherein the housing frame has four cylindrical extension portions, and wherein each respective one of the four mechanical corner press-fit anchors extends from a corresponding one of the four cylindrical extension portions.

8. A power semiconductor device module comprising:
a metal baseplate, wherein a bottom surface of the metal baseplate is disposed in a plane;
a housing frame formed of an electrically insulative material, wherein the housing frame engages the metal baseplate such that the metal baseplate and the housing frame together form a tray, wherein the tray has a rim;
a cap formed of an electrically insulative material disposed on the rim, thereby covering the tray;
a plurality of electrical press-fit terminals, wherein a press-fit pin portion of each electrical press-fit terminal extends upward and away from the cap in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the bottom surface of the metal baseplate;
a plurality of mechanical corner press-fit anchors, each having a lower portion that extends into the housing frame, wherein each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors also has a press-fit pin portion that extends out of the housing frame in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the planar bottom surface of the metal baseplate; and
power electronics disposed in the tray, wherein the power electronics are electrically coupled to each of the electrical press-fit terminals, wherein the power electronics include at least one component taken from the group consisting of: a power diode, a power field effect transistor, a power insulated gate bipolar transistor, and a power thyristor.

9. The power semiconductor device module of claim 8 , wherein each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors is secured to the housing frame.

10. The power semiconductor device module of claim 8 , wherein each of the lower portions of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors engages the housing frame in a manner that prevents the mechanical corner press-fit anchors from being pulled out of the housing frame under an anchor pull out resist force, wherein the anchor pull out resist force is a force greater than a minimum pull out extraction force at which one of the electrical press-fit terminals can be disengaged from a printed circuit board were the electrical press-fit terminal to have been press-fit mounted to the printed circuit board.

11. The power semiconductor device module of claim 8 , wherein each of the lower portions of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors engages the housing frame such that under an anchor pull out resist force the mechanical corner press-fit anchors do not move away from the housing frame in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the bottom surface of the metal baseplate.

12. The power semiconductor device module of claim 8 , wherein each of the press-fit pin portions of the electrical press-fit terminals has a first cross-sectional area taken in a plane at a top surface of cap, wherein each of the press-fit pin portions of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors has a second cross-sectional area taken in a plane at a top surface of the housing frame, wherein the second cross-sectional area is greater than the first cross-sectional area.

13. An assembly comprising:
a power semiconductor device module comprising:
a metal baseplate, wherein a bottom surface of the metal baseplate is disposed in a plane;
a housing frame formed of an electrically insulative material, wherein the housing frame engages the metal baseplate, wherein the housing frame at least in part forms a tray;
a cap formed of an electrically insulative material that covers the tray;
a plurality of electrical press-fit terminals, wherein each electrical press-fit terminal has a press-fit pin portion that extends away from the cap in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the bottom surface of the metal baseplate; and
a plurality of mechanical corner press-fit anchors, wherein each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors has a lower portion that extends into the housing frame, and wherein each of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors also has a press-fit pin portion that extends away from the housing frame in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the planar bottom surface of the metal baseplate; and

a printed circuit board, wherein the press-fit pin portions of the electrical press-fit terminals and the press-fit pin portions of the mechanical corner press-fit anchors are press-fit connected to the printed circuit board.

14. The assembly of claim 13 , further comprising:
a heatsink that is mounted to the power semiconductor device module so that the heatsink is in th

Assignees

• Ixys Llc
• Littelfuse Inc

Inventors

• Spann Thomas

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W40/611

  Bolts or screws · CPC title

• H10W76/60

  Seals · CPC title

• H10W76/136 Primary

  having other interconnections perpendicular to the conductive base · CPC title

• H01R12/585

  Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board · CPC title