New Compact, High Performance 7th Generation

IGBT Module with Direct Liquid Cooling for

EV/HEV Inverters
Khalid Hussein, Mikio Ishihara, Noboru Miyamoto, Yosuke Nakata, Toshiyo Nakano
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Power Device Works
Fukuoka, 819-0192, JAPAN
[email protected]

John Donlon*, Eric Motto*

*Powerex Inc.
Youngwood, PA 15697, USA

Abstract—This paper presents a new compact, direct liquid- presented in this paper addresses the major automotive
cooled IGBT power module series (J1-Series) addressing major requirements of high power-density, light-weight, and high-
requirements for Electric and Hybrid Electric (EV/HEV) power- reliability through the culmination of innovative achievements
train inverter applications in terms of high power-density, light- pertinent to two main pillars of semiconductor power
weight, and high-reliability. The J1-Series is fitted with the latest
modules: IGBT chip technology and packaging technology.
state-of-the-art IGBT chips (7th Generation Carrier Stored
Trench Bipolar Transistor (CSTBT)) with optimized Vce(sat)-vs- II. IGBT CHIP TECHNOLOGY
Eoff trade-off characteristic achieving high-efficiency and
enabling compact designs with high power handling capability. Advances in IGBT technology have always been driven by
The new IGBT module comes in a 6-in-1 circuit configuration the continuing demand for higher power densities and higher
compact package featuring the well proven wire-bond-less Direct efficiencies as reflected in the progress in IGBT generations
Lead Bonding (DLB) approach for high-reliability and extended with improved internal structures aiming at optimizing the
power cycling lifetime. The package also integrates a direct well-known Vce(sat)-vs-Eoff tradeoff characteristic. By adding
liquid-cooled Aluminum pin-fin for light-weight and durable an extra layer of carriers within the IGBT structure, the CSTBT
performance. Compared to conventional EV/HEV modules, the concept achieves higher efficiency by reducing both the
new J1-Series package with 7th Generation IGBT chips achieves saturation voltage VCE(sat) and the switching loss EOFF [1~3].
more than 10% power-loss reduction, 43% internal inductance The 7th Generation IGBT further optimizes the CSTBT VCE(sat)
reduction, 30% improved thermal performance, 40% foot-print vs. EOFF trade-off characteristic as illustrated in Fig.1 which
reduction, and 76% weight reduction. pictorially summarizes the continuous improvement in IGBT
characteristics with advanced generations.
Keywords—EV, HEV, IGBT Module, Direct Liquid Cooling,
Automotive Power-Train Inverter Compared to conventional devices, the 7th Generation
IGBT improves the VCE(sat) vs. EOFF relationship by more than
10%. This remarkable improvement has been achieved through
I. INTRODUCTION the utilization of two advanced technologies: transistor unit cell
Since the very successful release of the world’s first mass-
produced HEV in 1997, the number of HEVs and EVs has
been gradually increasing in major cities around the world.
Reliable and efficient semiconductor power modules
transferring energy between the battery and the motor-
generator represent the heart of the electric power-train that
realizes the electric-mobility concept. During the early years
of EV/HEV inverter development, the power module’s design
was mainly custom-made or tailored to suit particular layout
or certain application requirements. As more and more
EV/HEV designs are increasingly projected by various
automakers as well as inverter unit makers, automotive power
modules designed to suit a wide range of application
requirements are being introduced. The new J1-Series Fig. 1. IGBT trade-off characteristics improvement.

978-1-4799-6735-3/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE 1343

shrinkage through fine pattern processing, and the adoption of
thin-wafer process [4]. The very low Vce(sat) voltage values
and high power-density (compact size) at different power
module ratings can be appreciated by referring to the J1-Series
lineup listed in Table-1.

Table 1. J1-Sereis Power Module Line-up

Ratings Vce(sat) Typ. Package Size
Model Fig. 4. External appearance of the J1-Series power module.
(Ic/Vces) @Ic, 25°C (mm)
CT300CJ1A060 300A/650V
1.4V
CT600CJ1A060 600A/650V 120x115.2x32.5
CT400CJ1A090 400A/900V 1.7V (6-in-1)
CT300CJ1A120 300A/1200V 1.7V

The overall result of the 7th Generation VCE(sat) vs. EOFF

optimization is summarized in Fig. 2 which shows a
normalized total IGBT power-losses (DC + switching)
comparison under a typical inverter simulation example Fig. 5. Internal structure of the J1-Series power module.
operating at 400V battery voltage and 10kHz PWM switching
frequency. The result indicates 10% power-losses reduction
compared to the 6th Generation chips for a 600A/650V module.

Fig. 6. Conventional wire bond vs DLB structure.

By utilizing the DLB structure, the package’s internal

contact resistance and self-inductance can be reduced by as
Fig. 2. 7th Gen. IGBT power-loss comparison. much as 50% and 43% when compared with conventional
wire-bonding structures (for example, to less than 0.5mΩ and
III. PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY less than 14nH respectively). A further important advantage of
The new J1-Series power modules come in a 6-in-1 circuit the increased chip contact area is uniform temperature
configuration (or Six-Pack) with integrated Aluminum cooling distribution across the chip surface, hence reducing the peak
pin-fin base plate as shown in Fig. 3. The external appearance temperature value and resulting in lower stress for the entire
and the internal structure of the new J1-Series package are construction. Thus, the DLB structure addresses the power-
given in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 respectively. cycling stress issues usually encountered in conventional wire-
bonded packages. This is reflected in the DLB very high
The J1-Series also features the highly reliable Direct Lead power-cycling capability compared with conventional wire-
Bonding (DLB) package structure as shown in Fig. 6 compared bonding as illustrated graphically in the example of Fig. 7.
to conventional wire bonding technology [5, 6]. The new
module package provides compact size, light weight, and high
power handling capability. The DLB structure provides
increased chip surface contact area greatly improving the
power module current carrying capability.

Fig. 3. The J1-Series Six-Pack circuit configuration. Fig. 7. DLB vs wire-bond power cycling capability comparison example.

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 Among the various power module packaging requirements
for EV/HEV applications, size and weight are of particular
importance. Compact size and lighter weight translate into
more battery space and/or longer EV drive range. In
comparison with 2-in-1 packaged products for EV/HEV
applications (for example, the J-Series transfer-molded power
module, T-PM [7], Fig. 8), the new J1-Series power module
with its 6-in-1 configuration reduces the footprint by 40% as
detailed in Fig. 9. Weight of the inverter unit is directly
influenced by the cooling fin-material. Despite the fact that
aluminum cooling-fins have lower thermal conductivity
compared to copper cooling-fin structures, the utilization of
aluminum is advantageous in EV/HEV applications [8]. In
addition to being lighter in weight than copper, aluminum is
more durable when exposed directly to coolants. Therefore,
unlike with copper cooling-fins, plating is not required for
aluminum. This simplifies production steps and gives
flexibility in optimizing the aluminum fin structure (hence
minimizing the low thermal conductivity disadvantage). The
weight and thermal resistance benefits of the new J1-Series Fig. 11. J1-Series thermal resistance comparison vs conventional T-PM.
package design are detailed in Fig. 10 and 11, showing a 76%
weight reduction and 30% thermal performance improvement IV. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
for a three phase inverter solution. The two solutions compared
Since the new series uses the same package for several
in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are based on same module current and
voltage and current classes, test and evaluation of these IGBT
voltage ratings (600A/650V) for a three-phase EV/HEV motor
modules can be facilitated by a unique test environment that
drive.
provides a DC-link capacitor, a simple and efficient cooling
system (water jacket), and isolated interface circuitry with
dedicated driver ICs controlling and protecting the 7th
Generation IGBTs. The driver ICs utilize the IGBT built-in
(on-chip) temperature sensor and current sensor (mirror-
emitter) as shown in Fig. 3. The on-chip temperature sensor is
used for temperature feedback and protection, and the proven
mirror-emitter technology is used to detect over-current and
short-circuit situations before device de-saturation [9]. An
Fig. 8. Conventional power module (T-PM) with Cu fin. optimized evaluation kit (gate drive board, DC-link capacitor,
water jacket) is available for the evaluation of this new IGBT
module family as shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 [10].

Fig. 9. J1-Series footprint comparison with conventional T-PM solution.

Fig. 12. J1-Series evaluation kit (driver board and cooling jacket).

Fig. 13. J1-Series evaluation kit DC-Link capacitor

Fig. 10. J1-Series weight comparison vs conventional T-PM with Cu fin. (Block type and board type film capacitors).

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 Improvements achieved through the utilization of the 7th current exceeding 420Arms (corresponding to more than 80kW
generation IGBT in the new J1-Series power modules in terms output power) at a maximum junction temperature less than
of turn-off switching loss (Eoff) reduction was experimentally 150°C. Considering the very compact size of the J1-Series
verified by performing a half-bridge inductive load switching innovative package design (power module volume less than
test. The test was performed using the 600A/650V power 0.45 liters), the very high power density level realized by the
module as a representative example of the J1-Series under the utilization of the 7th Generation IGBT is clearly evident.
following conditions: Vcc = 420V, Ic = 600A, and Tj = 125°C.
The remarkable effect of the thin wafer process is clearly
evident in the lower tail current as shown in Fig.14 [4]. The V. CONCLUSION
turn-off switching power loss reduction achieved in this
particular example was about 14%.
A new series (J1-Series) of automotive power
The combined effect of the 7th generation IGBT Vce(sat) vs semiconductor modules has been developed to meet the
Eoff tradeoff improvement together with the direct liquid requirements of the evolving EV/HEV market. The J1-Series
cooling fin thermal performance optimization result in the achieves high efficiency (lower power losses), compact size
realization of high power density inverter units. Experimental (high power density), and light weight contributing to the
verification of the new J1-Series power handling capability in evolution of automotive inverter systems. These attractive
conjunction with the performance of the thermal interface features were made possible by utilizing state-of-the-art 7th
construction was conducted at: battery voltage = 400V; three Generation IGBT chip technology paired with proven high
phase PWM switching frequency (fc) = 5kHz and 10kHz; reliability core packaging technologies like wire-bond-less
coolant temperature (Tw) = 65°C; coolant flow-rate = 10 l/min. Direct Lead Bonding (DLB) and direct liquid cooling of an
Results achieved under the above mentioned inverter aluminum cooling fin base plate. Compared with conventional
conditions are graphically presented in Fig. 15. EV/HEV modules with similar power handling capabilities, the
new J1-Series innovative packaging and power chip
The results shown in Fig. 15 illustrate that the evaluated J1-
technologies achieve more than 10% power-loss reduction,
Series power module is capable of handling an inverter output
43% internal inductance reduction, 30% improved thermal
performance, 40% foot-print reduction, and as much as 76%
weight reduction.

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