Semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960096-B2
Application number	US-201414917618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

In a semiconductor device, a second heat sink and a third heat sink are electrically connected by a joint portion in an alignment direction in which a first switching element and a second switching element are aligned. A second power-supply terminal is disposed in the alignment direction in a region between a first power-supply terminal and an output terminal and between the second heat sink and the third heat sink. In an encapsulation resin body, at least one of a shortest distance between a first potential portion at same potential as the first power-supply terminal and a third potential portion at same potential as the output terminal and a shortest distance between a second potential portion at same potential as the second power-supply terminal and the third potential portion is shorter than a shortest distance between the first potential portion and the second potential portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising a first switching element, as a switching element forming an upper arm, having electrodes on upper and lower surfaces and a second switching element, as a switching element forming a lower arm, having electrodes on upper and lower surfaces, the first switching element and the second switching element being disposed in parallel and controlled in such a manner that when a short circuit occurs between the electrodes of one of the first switching element and the second switching element, the other one of the first switching element and the second switching element is restricted from being turned on, the semiconductor device further comprising:
a plurality of heat sinks electrically connected to the switching elements, including,
a first heat sink electrically connected to the electrode on the lower surface of the first switching element,
a second heat sink electrically connected to the electrode on the upper surface of the first switching element,
a third heat sink electrically connected to the electrode on the lower surface of the second switching element, and
a fourth heat sink electrically connected to the electrode on the upper surface of the second switching element,

a joint portion provided to at least one of the second heat sink and the third heat sink to electrically join the second heat sink and the third heat sink;
an encapsulation resin body in which the first and second switching elements, the first through fourth heat sinks, and the joint portion are integrally encapsulated;
a first power-supply terminal extending from the first heat sink in a direction orthogonal to both of an alignment direction in which the first switching element and the second switching element are aligned and a thickness direction of the first switching element and exposed to an outside of the encapsulation resin body;
an external connection output terminal extending from the third heat sink in a same direction as the first power-supply terminal extends and exposed to the outside of the encapsulation resin body; and
a second power-supply terminal having an encapsulated portion electrically connected to an extended portion of the fourth heat sink and encapsulated in the encapsulation resin body and an exposed portion extending from the encapsulated portion in a same direction as the first power-supply terminal extends and exposed to the outside of the resin encapsulation body, the second power-supply terminal being connected to a power supply together with the first power-supply terminal, the extended portion of the fourth heat sink extending from a main body portion of the fourth heat sink in the alignment direction toward the first switching element and encapsulated in the encapsulated resin body, wherein:
the second power-supply terminal is disposed in the alignment direction in a region between the first power-supply terminal and the output terminal and between the second heat sink and the third heat sink;
in the encapsulation resin body, a portion having a same potential as the first power-supply terminal is referred to a first potential portion, a portion having a same potential as the second power-supply terminal is referred to a second potential portion, and a portion having a same potential as the output terminal is referred to as a third potential portion, at least one of a shortest distance between the first potential portion and the third potential portion and a shortest distance between the second potential portion and the third potential portion is shorter than a shortest distance between the first potential portion and the second potential portion;
the joint portion and a connecting portion between the encapsulated portion of the second power supply terminal and the extended portion of the fourth heat sink are disposed in another region extending between the second heat sink and the third heat sink in the alignment direction and between edges of opposite ends of the second and third heat sinks in the direction orthogonal to both of the alignment direction and the thickness direction of the first switching element.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the encapsulated portion of the second power-supply terminal is disposed on a side of the fourth heat sink, the side being adjacent to the second switching element, and connected to the fourth heat sink; and
the joint portion extends in the alignment direction, and at least one of a shortest distance between the joint portion and the first heat sink and a shortest distance between the joint portion and the fourth heat sink is shorter than a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the first heat sink.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a surface of the main body portion of the fourth heat sink on an opposite side to the second switching element is exposed from the encapsulation resin body;
the encapsulated portion of the second power-supply terminal is disposed on a side of the extended portion, the side being adjacent to the second switching element, and connected to the extended portion; and
a shortest distance between the extended portion and the second heat sink is shorter than a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the first heat sink.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the encapsulated portion of the second power-supply terminal is at a position closer to the second heat sink than to the first heat sink in the thickness direction; and
a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the second heat sink is shorter than a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the first heat sink.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the first heat sink, the second heat sink, the third heat sink, and the fourth heat sink has a protrusion portion protruding in the thickness direction on an inner surface adjacent to a corresponding one of the switching elements; and
at least one of an opposing distance between the first heat sink and the second heat sink and an opposing distance between the third heat sink and the fourth heat sink in presence of the protrusion portion is shorter than a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the first heat sink.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an extended terminal interposed in at least one of a space between the first switching element and the first heat sink, a space between the first switching element and the second heat sink, a space between the second switching element and the third heat sink, and a space between the second switching element and the fourth heat sink to serve as an electrical joint, and extending in the alignment direction more to outside of a corresponding one of the switching elements to be joined,
wherein a shortest distance between the extended terminal and a corresponding one of the heat sinks opposing the extended terminal via the corresponding one of the switching elements is shorter than a shortest distance between the encapsulated portion and the first heat sink.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a surface of the main body portion of the fourth heat sink opposite to the second switching element is exposed from the encapsulation resin body; and
the encapsulated portion of the second power-supply terminal is disposed on an opposite side to the second switching element with respect to the extended portion and connected to the extended portion.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein:
the encapsulation resin body has a projected portion provided so as to cover the encapsulated portion.

9. The semico

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okumura Tomomi
• Kadoguchi Takuya

Classifications

• H10W90/766

  between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink · CPC title

• H10W74/111

  the semiconductor body being completely enclosed · CPC title

• H10W74/00

  Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings · CPC title

• H10W90/811

  Multiple chips on leadframes · CPC title

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title