Compact SiC Power Module With Integrated Power Delivery and Cooling

As the transition from Si to SiC power devices rapidly grows, new packaging architectures need to be developed to fully benefit from the desired characteristics of SiC technology. The present study offers a highly integrated package (IP) with current carrier electrical feedthroughs that simultaneously combine power delivery and cooling functions. The thermal performance of the proposed solution is compared with the conventional package in a half-bridge configuration of a 50-kW two-level three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI). The specific thermal resistance of a power package is reduced by 13.5% in the proposed approach, showing an increased benefit at higher pumping power and heat flux conditions. Furthermore, design challenges are explored associated with the near-junction cooling as the performance is pushed toward 1 kW/cm(2). Unlike the previous studies considering T-j as the main design constraint, the limiting parameter is found to shift to the maximum coolant temperature. With the design modifications focusing on overcoming the flash point limit of coolant, the specific thermal resistance is further reduced to 0.099 cm(2)middot(?)C/W at 1 kW/cm(2) at the expense of a 36.5% increase in the package volume. The findings of the study make a clear case for the need of innovative solutions to extract the highest benefit from integrated cooling at increased power density levels of next-generation inverters.