Thermal Mitigation and Optimization Via Multitier Bond Wire Layout for IGBT Modules Considering Multicellular Electro-Thermal Effect

The stitch wire configuration is widely adopted for large-area IGBT chips. However, an inhomogeneous wire current density introduces uneven self-heating and nonuniform chip heating, which exacerbates the chip thermal stress. In this article, a multicellular electro-thermal model considering the stitch-bonding wires is derived to optimize the wire layout parameters. Furthermore, the current density alleviation of wire bonds is investigated to be the most sensitive and effective method to comprehensively mitigate the thermal nonequilibrium and local overheating. Consequently, an improved multitier layout is proposed to further achieve thermal stress suppression without any additional components and advanced materials. Finally, a triple-tier-bonded IGBT module with optimal design parameters is fabricated to validate the thermal mitigation performance. The prototype experimental results demonstrate that the modeling error is less than 3.0%. The multitier layout decreases the current density by 57.6%, hence, the maximum and average chip temperature are reduced by 21.8% and 12.4%, respectively.