JP5163160B2 - Semiconductor cooling structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor cooling structure in which cooling pipes are arranged on both sides of a semiconductor module incorporating a semiconductor element.

  There is a semiconductor cooling structure in which a plurality of semiconductor modules incorporating semiconductor elements are arranged in parallel between a pair of cooling pipes (Patent Document 1). In this semiconductor cooling structure, a plurality of cooling tubes are stacked and two semiconductor modules are arranged in parallel between adjacent cooling tubes. Further, the cooling pipe and the semiconductor module arranged in a stacked manner are configured to be in close contact with each other by being pressed in the stacking direction by being pressed in the stacking direction by a pair of pressing plates disposed at both ends in the stacking direction. .

JP 2004-214623 A (FIG. 10)

However, in the above configuration, when there is a difference in thickness between a plurality of semiconductor modules arranged in parallel between a pair of adjacent cooling pipes, the same pressure is applied to all of these semiconductor modules. It becomes difficult to make the cooling pipes closely contact with each other.
As a result, the thermal resistance between the semiconductor module and the cooling pipe varies, and it may be difficult to sufficiently cool the plurality of semiconductor modules.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor cooling structure excellent in cooling efficiency in which variation in thermal resistance between a semiconductor module and a cooling pipe is suppressed.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor cooling structure in which a plurality of semiconductor modules each including a semiconductor element are arranged in parallel between a pair of cooling pipes through which a cooling medium flows, while providing a gap portion between them. ,
The clamping means for pressing the pair of cooling pipes against the semiconductor module is individually arranged for each of the semiconductor modules,
The clamping means is configured by pressurizing a pair of pressing plates disposed on a surface of the cooling pipe opposite to the semiconductor module in a direction approaching each other outside both ends in the parallel direction of the semiconductor module. Yes,
At least one of the pair of cooling pipes is provided with a deformable portion that can be deformed by the pressing force of the clamping means at a portion facing the gap between the adjacent semiconductor modules. The semiconductor cooling structure is as follows.

Next, the effects of the present invention will be described.
In the semiconductor cooling structure, the clamping means is individually arranged for each semiconductor module. At least one of the pair of cooling pipes is provided with the deformable portion in a portion facing the gap portion between the adjacent semiconductor modules. Thereby, even if the several semiconductor module arrange | positioned between a pair of cooling pipes has produced the difference in each other's thickness, a cooling pipe can be closely_contact | adhered with equivalent pressurization with respect to these semiconductor modules. .

That is, since the cooling pipe is provided with the deformable portion, the portions on both sides of the deformable portion can be moved individually to the respective semiconductor modules without being constrained to each other. Then, the individual clamping means provided corresponding to each semiconductor module can individually press the portion of the cooling pipe that is disposed facing each semiconductor module toward the semiconductor module. As a result, even if there is a difference in the thickness of the semiconductor module, the portion of the cooling pipe that faces each semiconductor module is brought into close contact with each semiconductor module with sufficient pressing force. The thermal resistance between them can be sufficiently reduced.
Therefore, even if thickness variation occurs in the semiconductor module, it is possible to suppress the cooling variation for each semiconductor module and improve the cooling efficiency.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor cooling structure with excellent cooling efficiency in which variation in thermal resistance between the semiconductor module and the cooling pipe is suppressed.

In the present invention, the semiconductor module may contain one semiconductor element or a plurality of semiconductor elements.
Moreover, the said semiconductor cooling structure can be made into the structure which comprises some power converters, such as an inverter, for example.
Further, the deformable portion may be formed on only one of the pair of cooling pipes or on both.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said deformable part is comprised so that plastic deformation is possible (Claim 2).
In this case, the cooling pipe can be sufficiently pressed against the semiconductor module by the pressing force of the pressing member. That is, when the deformable portion is elastically deformed, a reaction force against the applied pressure of the pressing member acts. Therefore, in order to sufficiently secure the applied pressure between the cooling pipe and the semiconductor module, it is necessary to increase the applied pressure of the clamping member in consideration of the reaction force. On the other hand, if the deformable portion can be plastically deformed, the pressing force between the cooling pipe and the semiconductor module can be sufficiently secured even if the pressing force of the clamping member is relatively small. it can.

In the cooling pipe, it is preferable that an inner fin is provided in a refrigerant flow path in a portion where the semiconductor module is closely disposed, and the inner fin is not provided in the refrigerant flow path in the deformable portion. ).
In this case, the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor module can be improved while suppressing the pressure loss of the cooling medium. Further, the inner fin does not hinder the deformation of the deformable portion.

The deformable portion is preferably a portion that is more easily deformed than other portions of the cooling pipe.
In this case, it becomes easy to deform the cooling pipe locally in the deformable portion, that is, locally in a portion of the cooling pipe facing the gap between adjacent semiconductor modules. Therefore, excessive deformation in other parts can be prevented.

The deformable portion preferably has a bellows shape.
In this case, the deformable portion can be easily deformed. Further, the cooling medium flowing inside the cooling pipe is disturbed in the flow inside the deformable portion. As a result, the cooling medium is mixed in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction, the temperature distribution in the refrigerant flow path on the downstream side can be suppressed, and the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor module can be improved.

Example 1
A semiconductor cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the semiconductor cooling structure 1 of this example, a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 each including a semiconductor element 21 are arranged in parallel between a pair of cooling pipes 3 through which a cooling medium flows, while a gap 11 is provided between them. Do it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clamping means 4 for pressing the pair of cooling pipes 21 against the semiconductor module 2 is individually provided for each semiconductor module 2. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the pinching means 4 is not shown.
At least one of the pair of cooling pipes 3 is provided with a deformable portion 31 that can be deformed by the pressure of the clamping means 4 at a portion facing the gap 11 between the adjacent semiconductor modules 2.

The deformable portion 31 is configured to be plastically deformable. That is, at least the deformable portion 31 of the cooling pipe 3 is made of a plastic material.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooling pipe 3 is provided with an inner fin 32 in the refrigerant flow path in the portion where the semiconductor module 2 is closely disposed. On the other hand, the inner fin 32 is not provided in the coolant channel in the deformable portion 31. Thereby, the deformable portion 31 becomes a portion that is more easily deformed than other portions in the cooling pipe 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling pipe 3 is formed by superposing a pair of outer shell portions 33 formed by processing a metal plate having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum. Inner fins 32 that are formed in a corrugated shape by processing a metal plate having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, for example, are partially disposed inside the pair of outer shell portions 33. The corrugated inner fin 32 is disposed in contact with both of the pair of outer shell portions 33 from the inside. Thereby, the intensity | strength of the part which provided the inner fin 32 among the cooling pipes 3 is improved. As described above, since the inner fin 32 is provided in a portion other than the deformable portion 31 (see FIG. 2), the deformable portion 31 is a portion that is more easily deformed than other portions in the cooling pipe 3. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the clamping means 4 includes a pair of pressing plates 41 disposed on the surface of the cooling pipe 3 opposite to the semiconductor module 2, and a plurality of through holes penetrating the pair of pressing plates 41 at their ends. It consists of a bolt 42 and a nut 43 that is screwed into the through bolt 42. Then, the clamping means 4 presses the pair of cooling pipes 3 against the semiconductor module 2 by tightening the pair of pressing plates 41 in the direction in which the pair of pressing plates 41 are brought closer to each other by the through bolts 42 and the nuts 43.

  In this way, the cooling pipes 3 are pressed and brought into close contact with the respective semiconductor modules 2 by the plurality of clamping means 4 provided for the respective semiconductor modules 2. At this time, the pressure of the cooling pipe 3 to each semiconductor module 2 is made uniform in the plurality of semiconductor modules 2. That is, the applied pressures of the plurality of clamping means are made equal.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the semiconductor module 2, the semiconductor element 21 and a heat sink 23 bonded to both main surfaces of the semiconductor element 21 via solder 22 are molded with resin. The pair of heat sinks 23 are electrically connected to the pair of electrode terminals 24 and are exposed on both main surfaces of the semiconductor module 2. The electrode terminal 24 protrudes from one end face of the semiconductor module 2, and a signal terminal 25 for connecting to a control circuit that controls the semiconductor element 21 protrudes from the opposite end face.

  Between the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling pipe 3, an insulating material 12 having excellent thermal conductivity is interposed. That is, since the heat sink 23 electrically connected to the electrode terminal 24 is exposed on the main surface of the semiconductor module 2, it is necessary to ensure electrical insulation between the heat sink 23 and the cooling pipe 3. The insulating material 12 is interposed.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of cooling pipe 3 is mutually connected by the connecting pipe 34 which connects a mutual refrigerant | coolant flow path in the both ends of a longitudinal direction. A cooling medium introduction pipe 351 that introduces a cooling medium and a refrigerant discharge pipe 352 that discharges the cooling medium are disposed at both ends of one cooling pipe 3 in the longitudinal direction. The connecting pipe 34 is configured to be extendable in the stacking direction of the pair of cooling pipes 3 such as a bellows pipe shape.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described.
In the semiconductor cooling structure 1, the clamping means 4 is individually arranged for each semiconductor module 2. At least one of the pair of cooling pipes 3 is provided with a deformable portion 31 at a portion facing the gap portion 11 between the adjacent semiconductor modules 2. Thereby, even if the several semiconductor module 2 arrange | positioned between a pair of cooling pipes 3 has produced the difference in mutual thickness, the cooling pipe 3 is closely_contact | adhered to these semiconductor modules 2 with equivalent pressurization force Can be made.

That is, since the cooling pipe 3 is provided with the deformable portion 31, the portions on both sides of the deformable portion 31 can be individually moved to the respective semiconductor modules 2 side without being constrained to each other. Then, the individual clamping means 4 provided corresponding to each semiconductor module 2 can individually press the portion of the cooling pipe 3 that is disposed opposite to each semiconductor module 2 toward the semiconductor module 2. . As a result, even if there is a difference in the thickness of the semiconductor module 2, the portion of the cooling pipe 3 that faces the semiconductor module 2 is brought into close contact with each semiconductor module 2 with a sufficient pressing force. And the heat resistance between the cooling pipes 3 can be sufficiently reduced.
Therefore, even if thickness variation occurs in the semiconductor module 2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cooling variation for each semiconductor module 2 and improve the cooling efficiency.

  In addition, since the deformable portion 31 is configured to be plastically deformable, the cooling pipe 3 can be sufficiently pressed against the semiconductor module 2 by the pressing force of the pinching member 4. That is, when the deformable portion 31 is elastically deformed, a reaction force against the pressing force of the pinching member 4 acts. Therefore, in order to ensure a sufficient pressure force between the cooling pipe 31 and the semiconductor module 2, it is necessary to increase the pressure force of the clamping member 4 in consideration of the reaction force. On the other hand, if the deformable portion 31 can be plastically deformed, the pressing force between the cooling pipe 3 and the semiconductor module 2 can be sufficiently secured even if the pressing force of the clamping member 4 is relatively small. be able to.

  In the cooling pipe 3, the inner fin 32 is provided in the refrigerant flow path in the portion where the semiconductor module 2 is closely arranged, and the inner fin 32 is not provided in the refrigerant flow path in the deformable portion 31. Thereby, the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor module 2 can be improved, suppressing the pressure loss of a cooling medium. Further, the inner fin 32 does not hinder the deformation of the deformable portion 31.

  Further, since the deformable portion 31 is more easily deformed than other portions in the cooling pipe 3, the deformable portion 31 faces the gap portion 11 locally in the deformable portion 31, that is, in the cooling pipe 3 between the adjacent semiconductor modules 2. It becomes easy to deform the cooling pipe 3 locally in the portion. Therefore, excessive deformation in other parts can be prevented.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a semiconductor cooling structure excellent in cooling efficiency in which variation in thermal resistance between the semiconductor module and the cooling pipe is suppressed.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the deformable portion 31 is an accordion shape.
That is, the outer shell tube 33 (see FIG. 3) is formed in a corrugated shape at the portion of the cooling tube 3 that becomes the deformable portion 31.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, the deformable portion 31 can be easily deformed. Further, the cooling medium flowing inside the cooling pipe 3 is disturbed in the flow inside the deformable portion 31. As a result, the cooling medium is mixed in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction, the temperature distribution in the refrigerant flow path on the downstream side can be suppressed, and the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor module 2 can be improved.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Example 3)
This example is an example of the semiconductor cooling structure 1 using the pinching means 4 having the spring member 44 as shown in FIG.
In other words, the spring member 44 is disposed on the surface of the pair of pressing plates 41 opposite to the semiconductor module 2 side of the pair of pressing plates 41, and the supporting plate sandwiches the spring member 44 between the pressing plates 41. 45 is disposed. A through bolt 42 is provided so as to penetrate the support plate 45 and the pair of pressing plates 41, and is screwed into the nut 43.

Specifically, the support plate 45, the spring member 44, the pressing plate 41, the cooling pipe 3, the semiconductor module 2, the cooling pipe 3, and the pressing plate 41 are stacked in this order, and are arranged at both ends in the stacking direction. The support plate 45 and the pressing plate 41 are sandwiched between a plurality of through bolts 42 and nuts 43.
The spring member 44 is composed of a leaf spring, and is interposed between the support plate 45 and the pressing plate 41 in a state where an urging force in a direction spreading in the stacking direction is applied.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, the cooling pipe 3 can be pressed against the semiconductor module 2 by the biasing force of the spring member 44. Therefore, it is easy to adjust the applied pressure between the cooling pipe 3 and the semiconductor module 2, the variation in the applied pressure of the cooling pipe 3 with respect to the plurality of semiconductor modules 2 can be further reduced, and the variation in thermal resistance is further increased. Can be suppressed.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which three semiconductor modules 2 are arranged between a pair of cooling pipes 3 is shown. However, there are two semiconductor modules 2 arranged between a pair of cooling pipes 3. Or four or more.
The deformable portion 31 may be formed on only one of the pair of cooling pipes 3 or may be formed on both.
Further, the deformable portion 31 can be structurally more easily deformable than other parts, for example, a material that is thinner than other parts or is more easily deformed than other parts is used. It can also be made easier to deform.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view of the semiconductor cooling structure in the first embodiment. The front explanatory drawing of the semiconductor cooling structure in Example 1. FIG. Sectional explanatory drawing of the semiconductor cooling structure in Example 1. FIG. The front explanatory drawing of the semiconductor cooling structure in Example 2. FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view of a semiconductor cooling structure in Embodiment 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor cooling structure 11 Gap | interval part 2 Semiconductor module 21 Semiconductor element 3 Cooling pipe 31 Deformable part 4 Clamping means

Claims (5)

A semiconductor cooling structure in which a plurality of semiconductor modules containing semiconductor elements are arranged in parallel between a pair of cooling pipes that circulate a cooling medium therein, while providing a gap portion between them.
The clamping means for pressing the pair of cooling pipes against the semiconductor module is individually arranged for each of the semiconductor modules,
The clamping means is configured by pressurizing a pair of pressing plates disposed on a surface of the cooling pipe opposite to the semiconductor module in a direction approaching each other outside both ends in the parallel direction of the semiconductor module. Yes,
At least one of the pair of cooling pipes is provided with a deformable portion that can be deformed by the pressing force of the clamping means at a portion facing the gap between the adjacent semiconductor modules. Semiconductor cooling structure.   The semiconductor cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the deformable portion is configured to be plastically deformable.   3. The cooling pipe according to claim 1, wherein the cooling pipe is provided with an inner fin in a refrigerant flow path in a portion where the semiconductor module is closely disposed, and the inner fin is not provided in the refrigerant flow path in the deformable portion. Characteristic semiconductor cooling structure.   4. The semiconductor cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the deformable portion is a portion that is more easily deformed than other portions of the cooling pipe.   5. The semiconductor cooling structure according to claim 4, wherein the deformable portion has a bellows shape.

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