WO2022101927A1

WO2022101927A1 - Discrete power device assembly (fixture)

Info

Publication number: WO2022101927A1
Application number: PCT/IN2021/050773
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dinanath SONI; Vijay Bolloju; Manish Suthar
Original assignee: Soni Dinanath
Priority date: 2020-11-10
Filing date: 2021-08-11
Publication date: 2022-05-19

Abstract

The present invention is directed to Discrete Power Device Assembly (Fixture). The disclosed fixture includes at least a mounting screw; at least a device retainer clip configured to retain said mounted discrete power device integrally attached with said at least mounting screw; and at least a rubber pad inside said device retainer clip, wherein a first face of said rubber pad is coupled with said discrete power device, and a second face is coupled with said fixture to manage uniform pressure during mounting of said discrete power devices..

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

Discrete Power Device Assembly (Fixture)

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present invention in general relates to a method of improving the effectiveness and productivity of systems using discrete Power devices in high power electronic systems. By way of using custom designed fixtures, the present invention provides a method to create custom power modules to replace expensive Integrated Power Modules (PM) and Intelligent Power Modules (IPM).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] When multiple discrete devices are used to implement the circuit topology, it poses problems for the designers and manufacturers in terms of placement and thermal performance. When multiple discrete devices are used in a circuit, the mounting and thermal management becomes a challenge for the designers and manufacturing staff. Furthermore, maintaining the consistency of mounting of the devices is also a challenge faced by the manufacturers.

[003] A power management system also manages power consumption of various components of a device by putting the device through different power states. The power management system for a portable or embedded system is desired for many reasons, particularly to prolong battery life and reduce heat dissipation in the device. Low heat dissipation resulting from the lower power consumption increases stability of the device as well.

[004] The inconsistencies can cause early mortality and high warranty costs. [005] Furthermore, the standard Integrated Power Modules (PM) and Intelligent Power Modules (IPM) come in fixed voltage and current ratings decided by the semiconductor manufacturer. Modules from each supplier may differ in the form factor and pin configurations. This limits the end user from choosing the PM / IPM that meets their cost / performance requirements and also to have alternative supply chain options.

[006] The standard Integrated Power Modules (PM) and Intelligent Power Modules (IPM) come with gate Driver circuits integrated inside the modules. Though this simplifies the system design and manufacturing for the end user, it often times poses limitation in tuning the circuit performance. The limitations arise as the end user has no choice to choose a different gate driver with the features desired or tune the gate circuit components to adjust the switching speed to reduce transients or to improve the switching performance.

[007] Hence, to meet the industry demand, it is very essential to design plastic clips and fixtures to help mount the discrete devices consistently on to the heat sink so that the objective of the present invention can be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[008] In an embodiment of the present invention, a discrete power device assembly (Fixture) is disclosed. The disclosed fixture includes at least a mounting screw; at least a device retainer clip configured to retain said mounted discrete power device integrally attached with said at least mounting screw; and at least a rubber pad inside said device retainer clip, wherein a first face of said rubber pad is coupled with said discrete power device, and a second face is coupled with said fixture to manage uniform pressure during mounting of said discrete power devices. [009] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices further comprises one or more connection terminals.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices further comprises a fault protection circuit.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices, wherein said fixture is mounted in housing.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices, further comprising a layer of silicone gel embedding the discrete device.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices, wherein said discrete power device is a surface mounted device.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, the fixture for mounting discrete power devices, wherein device retainer clip is a plastic clip.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, a method for mounting discrete power devices by fixture may be disclosed. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:

[0016] The primary objective of this invention is to provide an alternative to standard Integrated Power Modules (PM) and Intelligent Power Modules (IPM) to the end user.

[0017] The invention also empowers the end user to define the topology, power device and gate driver selection to meet their cost / performance objectives.

[0018] Furthermore, these flexible power assemblies will form the basic building blocks to configure any power electronic systems.

[0019] The invention also aims to reduce the import dependency and also to reduce the time to market of complex power electronic systems.

[0020] The present invention of assembling flexible power assemblies gives the end user to choose the gate drivers and associated components to meet their cost / performance needs. The end user can select the gate drivers from suppliers of their choice with a multitude of supply chain options. The end user can also use the legacy gate driver blocks tested and tried in their products.

[0021] The invention also aims to reduce the complexity and errors in using discrete components in the system. It reduces the number of mounting holes needed to secure the discrete power devices to the heat sink by half. The discrete power device fixture has a built in clip that applies uniform pressure on all the devices in the assembly. As a result, the flexible assemblies described here eliminate inconsistencies in the mounting of discrete power devices and hence improve the reliability of the systems.

[0022] The invention also enables the end user to create custom configurations, ratings to optimize system design and cost. The fixtures can be adapted to different discrete power devices and packages. The fixtures can be adapted to different circuit and system topologies. The invention seeks to provide the end users flexibility and an alternative to expensive PMs and IPMs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure. Any person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. It may be that in some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.

[0024] Various embodiments will hereinafter be described in accordance with the appended drawings, which are provided to illustrate, and not to limit the scope in any maimer, wherein like designations denote similar elements, and in which:

[0025] Figure 1 (100) illustrates the Details of the clip design in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 (200) illustrates the Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly with 2 devices- Top and Bottom View in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 (300) illustrates the Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly with 4 devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0028] Figure 4 (400) illustrates the Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly with 6 devices - Top and Bottom View in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 (500) illustrates the Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly with Linear Arrangement of Power Devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 (600) illustrates Conventional Power Device Assembly with 6 devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 (700) illustrates the Application Example of Boost PFC circuit with 2 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 (800) illustrates the Application Example of Interleaved Boost PFC circuit with 2 or 4 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9 (900) is an application Example of DCDC Converter Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly Device Flexible Assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0034] Figure 10 (1000) is an application Example of Motor Drive Inverter circuit, with 6 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The present disclosure is best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For example, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternate and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown.

[0036] References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0037] It is noted that various connections are set forth between elements in the following description and in the drawings (the contents of which are included in this disclosure by way of reference). It is noted that these connections in general and, unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect and that this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect. In this respect, a coupling between entities may refer to either a direct or an indirect connection. [0038] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a clip design in which various embodiments may be implemented. FIG. 1 shows a design of a plastic structure (fixture) that enables the users to mount the discrete devices reliably and easily on to a heat sink.

[0039] As illustrated in the Figure 1, it is shown that the fixture 100 may contain at least a mounting screw 102, a device retainer clip 104, a rubber pad 106, and a discrete power device 108 as shown for illustration.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting screw 102 may be configured to mount the discrete power device 108 on the heat sink. The mounting screw may be configured to intact the discrete power device 108 on the main assembly unit. In an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting screws may be minimum in numbers. The mounting screw may be configured to mount packages as such as TO- 220, TO-220FM, TO-247, TO-3P, TO-247-4 pin and any other packages that are through hole type.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present invention, the device retainer clip 104 may be configured to retain the discrete power device 108, so that they may perform the one or more desired function. This specially designed device retainer clip 104 ensures uniform pressure on the device during mounting.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the rubber pad 106 may be configured to accommodate for the tolerances of the device dimensions so as to ensure uniform pressure is applied on the device during mounting across the population of the devices and suppliers. The rubber pad may be made up of an alternate material suitable to perform the function as disclosed.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, the discrete power device 108 may be configured to perform one or more of pre-defined tasks in an electronic circuitry. [0044] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixture may be of plastic and may be designed to apply uniform pressure on the discrete devices inserted in to it when mounting on to the heat sink. The device retainer clip 104 (Fig. 1) ensures uniform pressure on the device during mounting. Provision is made to insert a rubber gap pad inside the clip (Fig. 1) to accommodate for the tolerances of the device dimensions so as to ensure uniform pressure is applied on the device during mounting across the population of the devices and suppliers. The fixtures may be designed to accommodate all through hole discrete device packages such as TO- 220, TO- 220FM, TO-247, TO-3P, TO-247-4 pin and any other packages that are through hole type.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixture may be designed to allow flexibility to mix and match the devices (MosFETs, IGBTs, All types of diodes, SiC MosFETs, SiC Diodes, CoolMoS, Super Junction MosFETs and any such power devices, inserted to meet the circuit topology needs.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, the presently disclosed invention may cover the Fixture designs for circular arrangement of Power devices (Fig. 2, 3, 4). The fixture designs for circular arrangements may also cover different number of power devices for example shown at least at Figures 2, 3, 4 and afore mentioned packages types and Power device types.

[0047] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the presently disclosed invention may cover the Fixture designs for linear arrangement of Power devices (Fig. 5). The fixture designs for the linear arrangement may also cover different number of power devices for example shown at least at Figure 5and afore mentioned packages types and Power device types.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, a circular design of the fixture may be configured such as (Fig. 2, 3, 4) to allow each device to have equal thermal dissipation space and to eliminate the hot spots. In a traditional linear arrangement (prior arts) of power devices (Fig. 6), the middle devices may have insufficient thermal dissipation space and are tend to overheat thereby limiting the performance of the entire circuit. The circular design also provides adequate electrical isolation between the adjacent devices and hence improves the performance and safety of the system. Henceforth, it makes it easier to qualify to safety standards.

[0049] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, separate fixture ideas for accommodating 2-devices (Fig. 2), 4-devices (Fig.3) and 6 devices (Fig. 4) may be conceived to meet various circuit topology needs. Fixtures with other device numbers and configurations may be easily designed. Some of the circuit examples that can benefit from these fixtures are shown in Fig. 7, 8, 9 and 10. Other topologies and circuit applications are possible. Other combinations of topologies and applications are possible with the use of different device and fixture combinations.

[0050] The presently disclosed invention of the clip is to ensure uniform pressure on the devices and the circular design makes it possible to reduce the mounting screws / holes required by half there by reducing the cost and improving the productivity. A conventional design (Fig. 6) that uses discrete components requires one mounting hole / screw per device. This leads to inconsistent mounting pressures across devices and inferior thermal performance and poor reliability and rework and repairs. The other benefits of the present invention are to reduce rework and warranty costs of the products. In the prior arts when a standard PM / IPM develops fault, failure the entire PM / IPM needs to be replaced there by increasing the warranty costs. With the presently disclosed flexible fixtures, only the parts that have failed or found faulty need to be replaced there by reducing the warranty and rework costs.

[0051] Figure 7 shows an application example of Boost PFC circuit with 2 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly. The Discrete Power Device Assembly with fixture is the same as detailed above. [0052] Figure 8 shows an application example of Interleaved Boost PFC circuit with 2 or 4 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly. The Discrete Power Device Assembly with fixture is the same as detailed above.

[0053] Figure 9 shows an application example of DCDC converter Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly. The Discrete Power Device Assembly with fixture is the same as detailed above.

[0054] Figure 10 shows an application example of motor drive inverter circuit with 6 Flexible Discrete Power Device Assembly. The Discrete Power Device Assembly with fixture is the same as detailed above.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present invention, the discrete devices containing semiconductor chips, in particular, power semiconductor chips, are described. The semiconductor chips may be of different types, may be manufactured by different technologies and may include, for example, integrated electrical, electro -optical or electro-mechanical circuits or passives. The integrated circuits may, for example, be designed as logic integrated circuits, analog integrated circuits, mixed signal integrated circuits, power integrated circuits, memory circuits or integrated passives. Furthermore, the semiconductor chips may be configured as so-called MEMS (microelectro mechanical systems) and may include micro-mechanical structures, such as bridges, membranes or tongue structures. The semiconductor chips may be configured as sensors or actuators, for example, pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, rotation sensors, magnetic field sensors, electro-magnetic field sensors, microphones etc. The semiconductor chips need not be manufactured from specific semiconductor material, for example, Si, SiC, SiGe, GaAs, and, furthermore, may contain inorganic and/or organic materials that are not semiconductors, such as, for example, insulators, plastics or metals. Moreover, the semiconductor chips may be packaged or unpackaged.

[0056] In particular, semiconductor chips having a vertical structure may be involved, that is to say that the semiconductor chips may be fabricated in such a way that electric currents can flow in a direction perpendicular to the main faces of the semiconductor chips. A semiconductor chip having a vertical structure has electrodes on its two main faces, that is to say on its top side and bottom side. In particular, power semiconductor chips may have a vertical structure and have load electrodes on both main faces. The vertical power semiconductor chips may, for example, be configured as power MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors), IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors), JFETs (Junction Gate Field Effect Transistors) or power bipolar transistors. By way of example, the source electrode and gate electrode of a power MOSFET may be situated on one face, while the drain electrode of the power MOSFET is arranged on the other face. In addition, the devices described below may include integrated circuits to control the integrated circuits of the power semiconductor chips.

[0057] The semiconductor chips have contact pads (or contact elements or terminals) which allow electrical contact to be made with the integrated circuits included in the semiconductor chips. The contact pads may include one or more metal layers that are applied to the semiconductor material. The metal layers may be manufactured with any desired geometric shape and any desired material composition. The metal layers may, for example, be in the form of a layer covering an area. Any desired metal or metal alloy, for example, aluminum, titanium, gold, silver, copper, palladium, platinum, nickel, chromium or nickel vanadium, may be used as the material. The metal layers need not be homogenous or manufactured from just one material, that is to say various compositions and concentrations of the materials contained in the metal layers are possible.

[0058] The devices described may be provided in a discrete form having two or more electrical terminals. The electrical terminals of the discrete devices are intended to be connected to a DCB substrate, for example, by soldering. The discrete devices include one or more semiconductor chips, which may be mounted on a leadframe. The leadframe includes die pads and leads. Both the die pads and the leads may form the electrical terminals of the discrete devices. In addition, the semiconductor chips or at least parts of the semiconductor chips may be packaged by covering the semiconductor chips with an encapsulation material, which may be electrically insulating and which may form an encapsulation body. The encapsulation material may be any appropriate duroplastic, thermoplastic or thermosetting material or laminate (prepreg) and may contain filler materials. Various techniques may be employed to encapsulate the semiconductor chips with the encapsulation material, for example compression molding, injection molding, powder molding, liquid molding or lamination. Such all disclosed devices may be mounted using the fixture as disclosed.

[0059] The discrete devices are mounted on DCB (direct copper bonding) substrates may be by the presently disclosed fixture. A DCB substrate includes a ceramic substrate, for example, made of aluminum oxide. Copper layers are deposited on the upper and lower surfaces of the ceramic substrate. The copper layers may also be structured in order to form conductor tracks.

[0060] The assembly described include external contact elements (or external contact pads), which may be of any shape and size. The external contact elements may be accessible from outside the modules and may thus allow electrical contact to be made with the semiconductor chips from outside the modules. Furthermore, the external contact elements may be thermally conducting and may serve as heat sinks for dissipating the heat generated by the semiconductor chips. The external contact elements may be composed of any desired electrically conductive material, for example, of a metal, such as copper, aluminum or gold, or a metal alloy. The external contact elements may be formed by portions of metal clips. Solder material, such as solder balls or solder bumps, may be deposited on the external contact elements.

[0061] Each of the assembly has at least one mounting surface. The mounting surface serves to mount the module onto another component, for example, a circuit board, such as a PCB (printed circuit board). External contact elements and, in particular, external contact surfaces are disposed on the mounting surface to allow to electrically couple the assembly to the component on which it is mounted. Solder deposits, such as solder balls, or other appropriate connection elements may be used to establish an electrical and, in particular, mechanical connection between the assembly and the component.

[0062] Furthermore, these features designed in to the fixtures offer immense possibilities to easily implement circuit topologies saving time and productivity. In the presently available Standard IPM products, there is a mandate that they come with Gate Driver circuits integrated. This leaves no choice for the end user to select the gate driver and tune the gate driver components to fine tune the circuit performance. The presently disclosed fixture allows the end user to choose the gate driver and associated components to fine tune the circuit performance and also to control the costs of the systems.

[0063] Various embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications in addition to those described, are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The embodiments, therefore, are not restrictive, except in the spirit of the disclosure. Moreover, in interpreting the disclosure, all terms should be understood in the broadest possible maimer consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps, in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.

[0064] The disclosed methods and systems, as illustrated in the ongoing description or any of its components, may be embodied in the form of a computer system. Typical examples of a computer system include a general-purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor, a micro-controller, a peripheral integrated circuit element, and other devices, or arrangements of devices that are capable of implementing the steps that constitute the method of the disclosure. [0065] The computer system comprises a computer, an input device, a display unit and the Internet. The computer further comprises a microprocessor. The microprocessor is connected to a communication bus. The computer also includes a memory. The memory may be Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM). The computer system further comprises a storage device, which may be a hard-disk drive or a removable storage drive, such as, a floppy-disk drive, optical-disk drive, and the like. The storage device may also be a means for loading computer programs or other instructions into the computer system. The computer system also includes a communication unit. The communication unit allows the computer to connect to other databases and the Internet through an input/output (I/O) interface, allowing the transfer as well as reception of data from other sources. The communication unit may include a modem, an Ethernet card, or other similar devices, which enable the computer system to connect to databases and networks, such as, LAN, MAN, WAN, and the Internet. The computer system facilitates input from a user through input devices accessible to the system through an I/O interface.

[0066] In order to process input data, the computer system executes a set of instructions that are stored in one or more storage elements. The storage elements may also hold data or other information, as desired. The storage element may be in the form of an information source or a physical memory element present in the processing machine.

[0067] The programmable or computer-readable instructions may include various commands that instruct the processing machine to perform specific tasks, such as steps that constitute the method of the disclosure. The systems and methods described can also be implemented using only software programming or using only hardware or by a varying combination of the two techniques. The disclosure is independent of the programming language and the operating system used in the computers. The instructions for the disclosure can be written in all programming languages including, but not limited to, “C,” “C++,” “Visual C++,” Java, and “Visual Basic.” Further, the software may be in the form of a collection of separate programs, a program module containing a larger program or a portion of a program module, as discussed in the ongoing description. The software may also include modular programming in the form of object-oriented programming. The processing of input data by the processing machine may be in response to user commands, the results of previous processing, or from a request made by another processing machine. The disclosure can also be implemented in various operating systems and platforms including, but not limited to, “Unix,” “DOS,” “Android,” “Symbian,” and “Linux.”

[0068] The programmable instructions can be stored and transmitted on a computer- readable medium. The disclosure can also be embodied in a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium, or with any product capable of implementing the above methods and systems, or the numerous possible variations thereof.

[0069] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0070] These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms "machine- readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

[0071] To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

[0072] A person having ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the system, modules, and sub-modules have been illustrated and explained to serve as examples and should not be considered limiting in any maimer. It will be further appreciated that the variants of the above disclosed system elements, or modules and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create other different systems or applications.

[0073] The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), and the Internet. [0074] The claims can encompass embodiments for hardware, software, or a combination thereof

[0075] Although a few implementations have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. Moreover, other mechanisms for performing the systems and methods described in this document may be used. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures may not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

[0076] Reference numerals: a mounting screw 102, a device retainer clip 104, a rubber pad 106, and a discrete power device 108.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A fixture for mounting discrete power devices, said fixture comprising: at least a mounting screw; at least a device retainer clip configured to retain said mounted discrete power device integrally attached with said at least mounting screw ; and at least a rubber pad inside said device retainer clip, wherein a first face of said rubber pad is coupled with said discrete power device, and a second face is coupled with said fixture to manage uniform pressure during mounting of said discrete power devices.

2. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1 further comprises one or more connection terminals.

3. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a fault protection circuit.

4. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fixture is mounted in housing.

5. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a layer of silicone gel embedding the discrete device.

6. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discrete power device is a surface mounted device.

7. The fixture for mounting discrete power devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein device retainer clip is a plastic clip.

8. A method for mounting discrete power devices by fixture as claimed in claims I to 7.