Method of design and manufacture of a power electronics converter for an electrical power system, power electronics converter for an aircraft, and an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12438061-B2
Application number	US-202318101051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2023
Priority date	May 31, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A method of designing and manufacturing a power electronics converter for an electrical power system is provided. A circuit design for the power electronics converter is selected. A shape constraint for integrating the power electronics converter into the electrical power system is determined, and at least one multi-layer carrier substrate is obtained according to the determined shape constraint. A plurality of power semiconductor prepackages are obtained. Each power semiconductor prepackage includes a power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material and an electrical connection extending through the solid insulating material from a terminal of the power semiconductor switching element to a connection surface of the prepackage. The power electronics converter is assembled by forming electrically conductive connections in a z-direction connecting terminals of the power semiconductor switching elements of the power semiconductor prepackages and one or more electrically conductive layers of the multi-layer carrier substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of designing and manufacturing a power electronics converter for an electrical power system, the method comprising:
selecting a circuit design for the power electronics converter;
determining a shape constraint for integrating the power electronics converter into the electrical power system;
obtaining a multi-layer carrier substrate according to the determined shape constraint;
obtaining a plurality of power semiconductor prepackages, each power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages including at least one power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material and at least one electrical connection extending through the solid insulating material from at least one terminal of the at least one power semiconductor switching element to a connection surface of the respective power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages; and
assembling the power electronics converter, the assembling comprising forming electrically conductive connections in a z-direction connecting terminals of the power semiconductor switching elements of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages and one or more electrically conductive layers of the multi-layer carrier substrate, the z-direction being perpendicular to an x-y plane of the multi-layer carrier substrate and the one or more electrically conductive layers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape constraint is a two-dimensional shape constraint.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape constraint is a three-dimensional shape constraint.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the shape constraint includes a plurality of space segments,
wherein the multi-layer carrier substrate is obtained according to each space segment of the plurality of space segments.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of space segments are arranged parallelly, vertically adjacent, or parallelly and vertically adjacent.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of space segments are arranged in a non-coplanar manner.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of space segments are arranged along an arcuate line, circumferentially around a component of the electrical power system, or along the arcuate line and circumferentially around the component of the electrical power system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape constraint includes a plurality of space segments,
wherein the multi-layer carrier substrate is obtained according to each space segment of the plurality of space segments.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape constraint is defined by an installation space confined by a stator housing, a battery pack housing, a power electronics converter housing, a cooling duct housing, a gas turbine housing, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein assembling the power electronics converter further comprises:
arranging the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages on the multi-layer carrier substrate,
wherein a position of each power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages in the x-y plane meets a position constraint.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the position constraint meets a thermal constraint, and
wherein the thermal constraint defines:
a minimum distance from one power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages to a neighboring power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages;
a maximum distance from one power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages to a neighboring power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages; or
the minimum distance and the maximum distance.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermal constraint defines the maximum distance, the maximum distance accommodating an optimum heat sink size.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein each power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages is arranged in a grid, in a circular pattern, or in an arcuate or straight line.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a heat sink for the power electronics converter;
forming a thermally conductive connection in the z-direction between a heat removal side of the plurality of power semiconductor prepackages and the heat sink.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical power system is an electrical power system for an aircraft.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape constraint is a shape constraint for integrating the power electronics converter into an electrical propulsion unit (EPU) of an aircraft, the EPU including a propeller or a fan, an electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propeller or the fan, and the power electronics converter connected to the electric motor.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein each power semiconductor prepackage of the plurality of semiconductor prepackages includes precisely one power semiconductor switching element, and
wherein the method further comprises:
determining a power rating constraint for the power electronics converter; and
selecting a number of power semiconductor prepackages of the plurality of semiconductor prepackages according to the power rating constraint.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co Kg

Inventors

• Waltrich Uwe
• Buchert Stanley
• Bohlländer Marco
• Müller Claus

Classifications

• H10W72/00

  Interconnections or connectors in packages · CPC title

• H10W72/073

  of die-attach connectors · CPC title

• H10W70/60

  Insulating or insulated package substrates; Interposers; Redistribution layers (leadframes H10W70/40) · CPC title

• H10W90/401

  characterised by multiple insulating or insulated package substrates, interposers or RDLs · CPC title

• H10W70/611

  for connecting multiple chips together · CPC title