JP6569888B2 - Semiconductor device with cooling function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor device with a cooling function that drives a semiconductor device while cooling it.

  In semiconductor devices, integration of semiconductor elements has progressed along with miniaturization and high density, and the amount of heat generated during power consumption has also increased. The cooling of the semiconductor device is generally forced ventilation that is cooled by an airflow from a fan. As an example of this semiconductor device, there is a device in which two systems of semiconductor devices are mounted and only one system is operated alternately. In this case, a function for cooling two semiconductor devices is required.

  The prior art of a semiconductor device with a cooling function for cooling such two systems of semiconductor devices will be described with reference to FIG. The semiconductor device 100 with a cooling function includes a first semiconductor device 101, a second semiconductor device 102, a cooling fan 103, an air supply port 104, an exhaust port 105, and a housing 106.

  The semiconductor device with a cooling function 100 includes two systems of semiconductor devices, a first semiconductor device 101 and a second semiconductor device 102, which are housed in the housing space 106a of the housing 106 as one stack. Then, one of the two systems of semiconductor devices is operated, and the other system of semiconductor devices is stopped. Such operation is performed alternately.

  In FIG. 4, the first semiconductor device 101 is operating and the second semiconductor device 102 is stopped. In FIG. 4, the operating first semiconductor device 101 is indicated by hatching, and the stopped second semiconductor device 102 is indicated by white.

  An airflow is forcibly formed by the cooling fan 103 in the housing space 106a. In this apparatus, the cooling fans 103 are arranged in two stages in the vertical direction, and the upper and lower first semiconductor devices 101 and the second semiconductor devices 102 are cooled so that airflow always flows through them. Such airflow is introduced into the accommodation space 106a from the air supply port 104, exhausted from the exhaust port 105 through the upper and lower cooling fans 103, the upper and lower first semiconductor devices 101, and the second semiconductor device 102, and the high-temperature air Is released to the outside world.

  Moreover, the thing of patent document 1 is known about the other prior art relevant to the semiconductor device with a cooling function which cools the semiconductor device of multiple systems. FIG. 5 shows the inverter control panel described in Patent Document 1. The inverter control panel 200 includes an inverter storage panel 201, an inverter storage unit door 202, an exhaust fan 203, an intake fan 204, an inverter storage unit 205, an inverter 206, and an exhaust duct 207.

  In the inverter storage board 201, a plurality of inverter storage units 205 are stored in multiple stages in the vertical direction inside the storage space. Each inverter storage unit 205 stores an inverter 206. An intake fan 204 is installed on the inverter storage unit door 202 of each inverter storage unit 205 on the front side of the inverter storage panel 201. Further, on the rear side of the inverter storage board 201, an exhaust duct 207 is formed that extends vertically along the arrangement of the plurality of inverter storage units 205. An exhaust fan 203 is installed above the exhaust duct 207.

  When the inside of the inverter control panel 200 is cooled, the intake fan 204 sends an airflow 208 into the inverter storage unit 205, and the airflow 208 cools the inverter 206. Then, the hot airflow 208 is exhausted to the exhaust duct 207 on the rear side of the inverter storage unit 205. The exhaust fan 203 collects high-temperature air exhausted to the exhaust duct 207 to the upper side and exhausts it to the outside of the inverter control panel 200.

JP 2013-128334 A (paragraph number [0024] in the specification, FIG. 1)

  Since such a semiconductor device with a cooling function requires a large space for installation, downsizing and downsizing of the device are important issues. In the prior art shown in FIG. 4, it is necessary to secure air paths for cooling both systems, and the air paths are enlarged in accordance with the first semiconductor device 101 and the second semiconductor device 102 that are vertically stacked. There was a need. In this case, it cannot be said that the air path for cooling the inactive semiconductor device is effective for cooling. As described above, there is a problem that the space is not efficiently used.

  In the prior art shown in FIG. 4, the air supply / exhaust ports are provided on the front and back surfaces. However, for example, other devices are densely arranged around the semiconductor device with a cooling function, and are located near the air supply ports and the exhaust ports. When there are walls and other devices, there is a problem that air supply and exhaust are restricted.

  In the prior art shown in FIG. 5, the air path for cooling the inactive semiconductor device is not used. For example, when the uppermost inverter 206 is operating, the lower side of the exhaust duct 207 becomes an unused air passage, and there is a problem that the space is not efficiently used.

  The semiconductor device with a cooling function is required to reduce the volume of the air path in order to satisfy the demand for miniaturization, and there is a circumstance that it is desired to avoid the use of an inefficient space as described above.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the entire apparatus by forming an air passage that uses a simple space and efficiently uses space, It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device with a cooling function that efficiently cools a device housed in the housing.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1
A first semiconductor device;
A second semiconductor device that make up the stack together with the first semiconductor device wherein the first semiconductor device is stacked,
A ventilation path communicating between the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device;
A first fan for supplying air to the first semiconductor device or exhausting air from the first semiconductor device;
A second fan for supplying air to the second semiconductor device or exhausting air from the second semiconductor device;
A control drive unit that performs operation control of the first fan and the second fan,
A semiconductor device with a cooling function that operates only one of the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device,
The control drive unit is
The first semiconductor device is exhausted from the stopped second semiconductor device side through the ventilation path by exhausting the first fan and supplying air to the second fan during operation of the first semiconductor device. Form a series of airways to the side, and
When the second semiconductor device is in operation, the first fan is supplied with air and the second fan is exhausted, so that the second semiconductor device is stopped from the first semiconductor device in a stopped state through the ventilation path. It is characterized by forming a series of air passages toward the side.

The invention according to 請 Motomeko 2, in the semiconductor device equipped with a cooling function according to claim 1,
Said first semiconductor device, the second semiconductor device, said air passage, said first fan, said second fan, and comprises a housing in which the drive control unit Ru is accommodated,
Wherein the housing has a housing space in which the first semiconductor device and said second semiconductor device Ru is installed,
The air passage is characterized in that the residual space in the rear side which is formed by arranging a pre-Symbol the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device in the housing space.

The invention according to 請 Motomeko 3, in the semiconductor device equipped with a cooling function according to claim 2,
The first fan, the first semiconductor device, the ventilation path, the second semiconductor device, and the second fan are arranged to form a series of substantially U-shaped air paths , and the first fan and the second fan wherein both with Ru arranged on one side of the housing, said first semiconductor device and said second semiconductor device is disposed in the first fan and the second fan side from a central portion of the housing It is characterized by .

The invention according to 請 Motomeko 4, in the semiconductor device equipped with a cooling function according to claim 3,
In the accommodation space, the first semiconductor device is disposed on the upper side and the second semiconductor device is disposed on the lower side, and the ventilation path is formed in a vertically long shape .

The invention according to 請 Motomeko 5, the semiconductor device equipped with a cooling function according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device are connected to the control drive unit, and the control drive unit automatically makes the first semiconductor device according to operation or stop of the first semiconductor device or the second semiconductor device. The exhaust operation or the supply operation of the fan and the second fan is switched .

  According to the present invention, a semiconductor device with a cooling function that has a simple configuration and forms an air passage that efficiently uses space to reduce the size of the entire device and efficiently cools the device housed therein. Can be provided.

It is explanatory drawing of the cooling operation | movement of the 1st semiconductor device by the semiconductor device with a cooling function of the form for implementing this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling operation of the 2nd semiconductor device by the semiconductor device with a cooling function of the form for implementing this invention. It is a circuit block diagram of the inverter apparatus which is an example of the semiconductor device with a cooling function of the form for implementing this invention. It is an internal block diagram of the semiconductor device with a cooling function of a prior art. FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of a conventional inverter control panel described in Patent Document 1;

  Next, a semiconductor device with a cooling function according to an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The semiconductor device with a cooling function 10 includes a first semiconductor device 11, a second semiconductor device 12, a first opening 13, a second opening 14, a ventilation path 15, a first fan 16, a second fan 17, a control drive unit 18, a housing. At least a body 19 is provided.

The first semiconductor device 11 is a device including a semiconductor element, for example, a circuit board having a semiconductor element and its drive circuit.
The second semiconductor device 12 is also a device including a semiconductor element, for example, a circuit board having a semiconductor element and its drive circuit.

  The first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 are also heat generating devices that generate heat due to electrical loss during power conversion. In this way, there are two systems of semiconductor devices, and these semiconductor devices are stacked one above the other and mounted as one stack. Then, one of the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 is operated.

The first opening 13 is provided in the housing 19 so as to be located in the vicinity of the first fan 16 on the back surface of the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function.
The second opening 14 is provided in the housing 19 so as to be located in the vicinity of the second fan 17 on the back surface of the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function. In addition, although the 1st opening 13 and the 2nd opening 14 are demonstrated as what is formed in the back surface of the housing | casing 19 by this form, you may form in a side surface or a front surface according to the actual condition.

  The ventilation path 15 is an air path communicating between the upper first semiconductor device 11 and the lower second semiconductor device 12. The ventilation path 15 is an air path that is used for cooling when any of the systems operates, and realizes efficient use of space. The formation of the ventilation path 15 is related to the description of the accommodation space 19a of the housing 19 and will be described later.

  The first fan 16 supplies air to the first semiconductor device 11 or exhausts air from the first semiconductor device 11 through the first opening 13. The air supply is to generate an airflow that flows from the outside to the first semiconductor device 11, and the exhaust is to generate an airflow that flows from the first semiconductor device 11 to the outside.

  The second fan 17 supplies air to the second semiconductor device 12 or exhausts air from the second semiconductor device 12 through the second opening 14. The air supply is to generate an airflow that flows from the outside to the second semiconductor device 12, and the exhaust is to generate an airflow that flows from the second semiconductor device 12 to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the first semiconductor device 11 is operated, the control drive unit 18 performs drive control for exhausting the first fan 16 and supplying air to the second fan 17 to operate the second semiconductor device 11. A series of air passages that flow from the device 12 to the first semiconductor device 11 through the air passage 15 is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the second semiconductor device 12 is operated, the control drive unit 18 performs drive control for supplying the first fan 16 and supplying the second fan 17 to exhaust air. A series of air paths that flow from the first semiconductor device 11 to the second semiconductor device 12 through the ventilation path 15 are formed. The change of the air flow direction is realized only by changing the rotation direction of the first fan 16 and the second fan 17.

  The housing 19 is mounted with the above-described components, and particularly has a housing space 19a. The accommodation space 19a is a space partitioned by a partition except for one opening on the back surface. Such a casing 19 can be installed indoors or outdoors. Each structure of the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function is such.

  Then, the air path in the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function is demonstrated. First, formation of the ventilation path 15 will be described. By arranging the first semiconductor device 11 on the upper side and the second semiconductor device 12 on the lower side in the housing space 19 a of the housing 19, a vertically long residual space is formed. This remaining space is partitioned by the accommodating space 19a, the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12, and becomes the ventilation path 15 on the inner back side when viewed from the back. On the inner back side, only the ventilation path 15 can move the airflow.

  The air path in the semiconductor device with a cooling function 10 includes the first opening 13, the first fan 16, the first semiconductor device 11, the ventilation path 15, the second semiconductor device 12, the second fan 17, and the second opening. 14 are arranged in a substantially U shape when viewed from the side. The first opening 13 and the second opening 14 of the air passage are located on the back side of the housing 19.

The formation of such an air passage has the following advantages.
(1) Two systems of the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 are arranged on both opening sides of the substantially U-shaped air passage. For example, even in comparison with the prior art of FIG. 4, in the present invention, airflow flows in both directions in a common air passage, the opening area of the air passage is narrowed, and the space for the air passage is reduced. Less.

(2) In the semiconductor device 10 with the cooling function, only one of the two systems of the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 operates. The resting semiconductor device is used as a part of the air path. Therefore, compared with the prior art of FIG. 5, the distance of an air path is shortened and the space for an air path is reduced.

(3) The ventilation path 15 itself does not communicate with the outside. This simplifies the structure, facilitates manufacturing, and reduces manufacturing costs.

(4) Conventionally, the air supply port and the exhaust port are generally provided on different surfaces or provided at separate locations, and there are restrictions on the arrangement of peripheral devices so as not to block the air supply and exhaust ports. However, in the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention, the first opening 13 and the second opening 14 are provided on the same back surface. Therefore, other devices can be arranged on both side surfaces, and high-temperature air is not released from the front side, which contributes to the realization of the arrangement in a dense place.

Subsequently, cooling by the cooling function semiconductor device 10 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the first semiconductor device 11 is operating and the second semiconductor device 12 is stopped. In FIG. 1, the operating first semiconductor device 11 is indicated by hatching, and the stopped second semiconductor device 12 is indicated by white. The first fan 16 functions as an exhaust fan, and the second fan 17 functions as an air supply fan.

  In this case, the airflow flows in the direction of arrow A, is supplied by the second fan 17 through the second opening 14, and is sent to the rear ventilation path 15 through the second semiconductor device 12. The airflow rises through this ventilation path 15 and is sent to the first semiconductor device 11. The airflow cools the first semiconductor device 11 that is at a high temperature, and then flows from the first fan 16 through the first opening 13 in the direction of arrow B and is exhausted to the outside.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the first semiconductor device 11 is stopped and the second semiconductor device 12 is operating. In FIG. 2, the operating second semiconductor device 12 is indicated by hatching, and the stopped first semiconductor device 11 is indicated by white. The first fan 16 functions as an air supply fan, and the second fan 17 functions as an exhaust fan.

  In this case, the airflow flows in the direction of arrow C, is supplied by the first fan 16 through the first opening 13, and is sent to the rear ventilation path 15 through the first semiconductor device 11. The airflow descends the ventilation path 15 and is sent to the second semiconductor device 12. The airflow cools the second semiconductor device 12 that is at a high temperature, and then flows from the second fan 17 through the second opening 14 in the direction of arrow D and is exhausted to the outside. Cooling looks like this.

  Next, a specific example of the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function will be described. The semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function is, for example, an inverter device that converts commercial power into AC power having a different voltage and frequency. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the inverter device includes transformers 1 a and 1 b, power supply circuits 2 a and 2 b, a control circuit 3, a first semiconductor device 11, and a second semiconductor device 12. The first semiconductor device 11 includes semiconductor elements 11a and 11b, and the second semiconductor device 12 includes semiconductor elements 12a and 12b. These are installed in the housing of the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function shown in FIGS. The semiconductor device with a cooling function 10 is a device that supplies power to a load by alternately converting power to two power sources, ie, a 1-system power source and a 2-system power source.

  DC power rectified by the power supply circuits 2 a and 2 b after being stepped down by the transformers 1 a and 1 b is supplied to the control circuit 3. The semiconductor elements 11a, 11b, 12a, and 12b are semiconductor power converters including a plurality of power conversion semiconductor elements (power semiconductor elements) such as thyristors. The control circuit 3 turns on / off the semiconductor elements 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b. When power conversion is performed in the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12, heat is generated due to loss during power conversion, and thus it is necessary to efficiently cool. It can be set as the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function which functions as such an inverter apparatus.

  The semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention has been described above. The present invention can be improved in various ways. For example, the first opening 13 and the second opening 14 are arranged side by side. In this case, when a part of the exhaust flow is mixed into the supply airflow, the exhaust airflow is cooled by a warm airflow, which may reduce the cooling capacity.

  Therefore, by providing a cylindrical body protruding from the first opening 13 and the second opening 14, or by providing a long duct (not shown) extending from the first opening 13 and the second opening 14, The air supply location and the exhaust location may be separated so that the exhaust flow does not reliably enter the supply airflow. Further, the first opening 13 and the second opening 14 may be arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction when viewed from the back. The cooling capacity can be maintained without causing a situation in which cooling air having a high temperature is used.

  In the present invention, the first opening 13, the first fan 16, the first semiconductor device 11, the second opening 14, the second fan 17, and the second semiconductor device 12 may all be the same height. In this case, FIGS. 1 and 2 are views of the substantially U-shaped air passage viewed from above. If the cooling operation as described above is performed, a cooling effect can be expected in the same manner. You may comprise in this way.

  Further, in the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention, the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 are also connected to the control drive unit 18, depending on whether the first semiconductor device 11 or the second semiconductor device 12 is operated or stopped. Thus, the air feeding directions of the first fan 16 and the second fan 17 may be automatically switched as described above. Further, in the inverter device illustrated in FIG. 3, the control drive unit 18 may be connected to the control circuit 3 of FIG. 3 and controlled by the control circuit 3 as a whole.

  Moreover, the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention is applicable when a semiconductor element that generates heat is mounted. As other examples of the semiconductor device other than the power semiconductor, various types such as a high-speed arithmetic CPU can be considered. Various semiconductor devices can be employed.

  In addition, the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention has a control drive unit that receives a detection signal from a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects, for example, a temperature when the amount of heat generated increases according to the operating state of the semiconductor device. It is possible to operate in an optimum state according to the situation, for example, 18 is changed so as to increase the rotation speed to enhance the cooling performance.

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.
(1) Since the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention forcibly supplies and exhausts air using the first fan 16 and the second fan 17, air does not stay in the air path of the housing 19. The flow of airflow in the first semiconductor device 11 and the second semiconductor device 12 is made smooth, and the cooling efficiency is improved.

(2) Further, the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention, when viewed along the airflow direction, the upstream semiconductor element is stopped and the downstream semiconductor element is in operation. It is no longer affected by heat dissipation from the upstream side semiconductor element, and the temperature of the downstream side semiconductor element is suppressed from being affected by the heat dissipation of the upstream side semiconductor element. Therefore, the cooling effect can be enhanced.

(3) In addition, the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention is configured with two semiconductor devices as one stack, and the openings on the air supply side and the exhaust side are provided on the same surface (for example, the back surface). The air supply / exhaust port can be provided with certainty even in a dense arrangement. Even in a frame structure where the installation location of the air supply / exhaust port is restricted, the cooling air passage can be miniaturized and space saving can be realized.

(4) Further, in the semiconductor device 10 with a cooling function of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the air passage is small, and as shown in FIG. 4, it is necessary to use many fans to cool the entire inside of the housing. It is possible to cool while supplying and exhausting air with a small number of fans. For this reason, power saving of the fan and reduction of the air volume by reducing the air volume are realized. Further, the air path is reduced, which contributes to the downsizing of the apparatus.

  Such a semiconductor device with a cooling function of the present invention can be applied to various fields using semiconductor devices such as electric power and computer, and can be expected to be used in a wide range.

1a, 1b: Transformers 2a, 2b: Power supply circuit
3: control circuit 10: semiconductor device with cooling function 11: first semiconductor device 11a, 11b: semiconductor element 12: second semiconductor device 12a, 12b: semiconductor element 13: first opening 14: second opening 15: ventilation path 16 : First fan 17: Second fan 18: Control drive unit 19: Housing 19a: Accommodating space

Claims (5)

A first semiconductor device;
A second semiconductor device that make up the stack together with the first semiconductor device wherein the first semiconductor device is stacked,
A ventilation path communicating between the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device;
A first fan for supplying air to the first semiconductor device or exhausting air from the first semiconductor device;
A second fan for supplying air to the second semiconductor device or exhausting air from the second semiconductor device;
A control drive unit that performs operation control of the first fan and the second fan,
A semiconductor device with a cooling function that operates only one of the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device,
The control drive unit is
The first semiconductor device is exhausted from the stopped second semiconductor device side through the ventilation path by exhausting the first fan and supplying air to the second fan during operation of the first semiconductor device. Form a series of airways to the side, and
When the second semiconductor device is in operation, the first fan is supplied with air and the second fan is exhausted, so that the second semiconductor device is stopped from the first semiconductor device in a stopped state through the ventilation path. A semiconductor device with a cooling function, characterized in that a series of air paths toward the side are formed. A housing for housing the first semiconductor device, the second semiconductor device, the ventilation path, the first fan, the second fan, and the control drive unit;
The housing has a housing space in which the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device are installed,
The cooling function according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation path is a residual space on the inner back side formed by disposing the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device in the accommodation space. Semiconductor device.   The first fan, the first semiconductor device, the ventilation path, the second semiconductor device, and the second fan are arranged to form a series of substantially U-shaped air paths, and the first fan and the second fan The first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device are disposed on one side surface of the housing, and are disposed closer to the first fan and the second fan than a central portion of the housing. The semiconductor device with a cooling function according to claim 2.   4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the first semiconductor device is disposed on the upper side and the second semiconductor device is disposed on the lower side in the housing space, and the ventilation path is formed vertically long. Semiconductor device with cooling function. The first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device are connected to the control drive unit,
The control drive unit automatically switches the exhaust operation or the air supply operation of the first fan and the second fan according to the operation or stop of the first semiconductor device or the second semiconductor device. The semiconductor device with a cooling function according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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