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US 9,866,213 B1Granted
High voltage switch module
AssigneeUnited Silicon Carbide, Inc.
InventorsHao Zhang, Xueqing Li, Anup Bhalla
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A high-voltage switch module, such as a cascode module, includes an electrically insulating heatsink with a patterned conductor layer on which high-voltage and low-voltage active semiconductor components are bonded, along with clamping, loading, and dynamic balancing components such as diodes, resistors, and capacitors. The heatsink may be alumina or aluminum nitride, for example. The conductor layer may be copper affixed to the heatsink via by direct-copper bonding or active metal brazing, for instance. High-voltage cascode modules may be formed using a low-voltage MOSFET in combination with a chain of silicon carbide normally-on n-channel JFET devices with a variety of configurations of clamping, loading, and balancing devices, for example.
Claims20
A high-voltage switch module comprising:
- a. an electrically insulating heatsink;
- b. a patterned conductor the comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, where the bottom surface of the patterned conductor is bonded directly to a top surface of the heatsink;
- c. a first MOSFET chip, the first MOSFET chip being a normally-off n-channel device having a gate terminal and a source terminal formed on a top surface and a drain terminal on a bottom surface, where the drain terminal of the first MOSFET chip is connected to a MOSFET pad of the patterned conductor by a die-attach material;
- d. a chain of JFET chips, where the JFET chips in the chain are silicon carbide normally-on n-channel devices having a gate terminal and a source terminal on a top surface of the JFET chip and a drain terminal on a bottom surface of the JFET chip, where the JFET chips in the chain are connected in series drain-to-source, where the source of the first JFET chip in the chain is connected to the drain of the first MOSFET chip, and where the drain terminal of each JFET chip in the chain is connected to a JFET pad of the conductor layer by a die-attach material;
- and
- e. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip to the penultimate JFET chip, a clamping device associated with the JFET chip, where an anode of the clamping device is connected to the source of the JFET chip, and a cathode of the clamping device is connected to the gate of the next JFET chip in the chain.
3 more elements
A high-voltage switch module, comprising:
- a. an electrically insulating heatsink;
- b. a patterned conductor the comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, where the bottom surface of the patterned conductor is bonded directly to a top surface of the heatsink;
- c. a first MOSFET chip, the first MOSFET chip being a normally-off n-channel device having a gate terminal and a source terminal formed on a top surface and a drain terminal on a bottom surface, where the drain terminal of the first MOSFET chip is connected to a MOSFET pad of the patterned conductor by a die-attach material;
- d. a chain of JFET chips, where the JFET chips in the chain are silicon carbide normally-on n-channel devices having a gate terminal and a source terminal on a top surface of the JFET chip and a drain terminal on a bottom surface of the JFET chip, where the JFET chips in the chain are connected in series drain-to-source, where the source of the first JFET chip in the chain is connected to the drain of the first MOSFET chip, and where the drain terminal of each JFET chip in the chain is connected to a JFET pad of the conductor layer by a die-attach material;
- e. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip to the penultimate JFET chip, a clamping device associated with the JFET chip, where an anode of the clamping device is connected to the source of the JFET chip, and a cathode of the clamping device is connected to the gate of the next JFET chip in the chain;
- and
- f. a second MOSFET chip connected in parallel with the first MOSFET chip;
- g. an additional JFET chip connected in parallel with each JFET chip in the chain;
- h. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip to the last JFET chip, a load circuit comprising a resistor, the load circuit being connected between the drain of the JFET chip and the gate of the JFET chip;
- i. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip in the chain to the last JFET chip in the chain, a dynamic balancing circuit comprising a capacitor associated with the JFET chip, where a first connection of the dynamic balancing circuit is connected to the gate of the JFET chip, and a second connection of the dynamic balancing circuit is connected to the source of the first MOSFET chip;
- or
- j. an additional clamping device associated with the first JFET chip in the chain, where an anode of the additional clamping device is connected to the source of the first JFET chip in the chain and a cathode of the additional clamping device is connected to the gate of the second JFET chip in the chain, where the gate of the first JFET chip in the chain is connected to the source of the first MOSFET chip.
9 more elements
A high-voltage switch module, comprising:
- a. an electrically insulating heatsink;
- b. a patterned conductor the comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, where the bottom surface of the patterned conductor is bonded directly to a top surface of the heatsink;
- c. a first MOSFET chip, the first MOSFET chip being a normally-off n-channel device having a gate terminal and a source terminal formed on a top surface and a drain terminal on a bottom surface, where the drain terminal of the first MOSFET chip is connected to a MOSFET pad of the patterned conductor by a die-attach material;
- d. a chain of JFET chips, where the JFET chips in the chain are silicon carbide normally-on n-channel devices having a gate terminal and a source terminal on a top surface of the JFET chip and a drain terminal on a bottom surface of the JFET chip, where the JFET chips in the chain are connected in series drain-to-source, where the source of the first JFET chip in the chain is connected to the drain of the first MOSFET chip, and where the drain terminal of each JFET chip in the chain is connected to a JFET pad of the conductor layer by a die-attach material;
- and
- e. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip to the penultimate JFET chip, a clamping device associated with the JFET chip, where an anode of the clamping device is connected to the source of the JFET chip, and a cathode of the clamping device is connected to the gate of the next JFET chip in the chain,
- f. wherein the top surface of the patterned conductor is plated with nickel, gold, or an alloy of nickel or gold.
4 more elements
A high-voltage switch module, comprising:
- a. an electrically insulating heatsink,
- b. a patterned conductor the comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, where the bottom surface of the patterned conductor is bonded directly to a top surface of the heatsink;
- c. a first MOSFET chip, the first MOSFET chip being a normally-off n-channel device having a gate terminal and a source terminal formed on a top surface and a drain terminal on a bottom surface, where the drain terminal of the first MOSFET chip is connected to a MOSFET pad of the patterned conductor by a die-attach material;
- d. a chain of JFET chips, where the JFET chips in the chain are silicon carbide normally-on n-channel devices having a gate terminal and a source terminal on a top surface of the JFET chip and a drain terminal on a bottom surface of the JFET chip, where the JFET chips in the chain are connected in series drain-to-source, where the source of the first JFET chip in the chain is connected to the drain of the first MOSFET chip, and where the drain terminal of each JFET chip in the chain is connected to a JFET pad of the conductor layer by a die-attach material;
- e. for each JFET chip in the chain from the second JFET chip to the penultimate JFET chip, a clamping device associated with the JFET chip, where an anode of the clamping device is connected to the source of the JFET chip, and a cathode of the clamping device is connected to the gate of the next JFET chip in the chain;
- and
- f. a housing, the housing being fixed to the insulating heatsink and covering the patterned conductor layer, and the high voltage switch;
- and
- g. control and output connectors, the control and output connectors extending beyond the housing.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.