TA.TEC Consulting
Why Do SiC Power Modules Need New Packaging Technologies?
Why SiC power modules need new packaging technologies – and why package design increasingly determines electrical and thermal performance.
The review examines why conventional power-module packaging structures can limit the full utilization of the advantages of SiC power devices. High-speed switching, thermal management, high-temperature operation, and high-voltage insulation are identified as key challenges.
Parasitic inductances can cause voltage overshoot, ringing, and electromagnetic interference at high switching speeds, thereby limiting the usable switching speed. High thermal resistance increases junction temperature and can intensify thermally induced reliability issues. At the same time, materials and interconnection technologies must be designed for higher operating temperatures and increasing electrical-field stresses.
These challenges lead to requirements for future packaging technologies: lower parasitic inductance, lower thermal resistance, higher temperature capability, and improved electrical insulation.
Fully utilizing the advantages of SiC power devices increasingly depends on suitable packaging technologies.
High switching frequencies, high operating temperatures, and low device-level losses do not automatically translate into corresponding performance at module and system level. Parasitic inductance, thermal resistance, and electrical insulation are significantly influenced by package design and interconnection technologies.
Conventional packaging can therefore become a limiting factor in utilizing the properties of SiC devices. To better exploit their potential, packaging and interconnection technologies must evolve accordingly.
The statements presented are based on a review of SiC power-module packaging technologies. The paper summarizes challenges of conventional packaging structures, requirements for future packaging technologies, and technological developments.
The described relationships are therefore not design rules for a specific module or individual application. Actual electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance depends, among other factors, on semiconductor technology, package structure, materials, interconnection technologies, voltage and current levels, switching conditions, and thermal boundary conditions.
Specific packaging solutions must therefore be evaluated separately for the respective application and its operating conditions.
Research Source
Haksun Lee, Vanessa Smet, Rao R. Tummala
A Review of SiC Power Module Packaging Technologies: Challenges, Advances, and Emerging Issues
IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, Vol. 8, No. 1, March 2020
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