Thermal design of power module to minimize peak transient temperature

This paper investigates the impact of the geometry of the heat spreader and the heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger on the steady-state and transient thermal performances of power semiconductor modules. Results show that the steady-state thermal resistances along the thermal flow path change with heat transfer coefficients owing to limited heat spreading effect. The transient thermal performance is mainly affected by the thermal capacitance in the power module. To minimize the transient thermal impedance without sacrificing weight, cost, and so on, the thickness of the heat-spreader should be selected to match the thermal time constant to the transient duration. Based on these results, a methodology is proposed to conservatively select the thickness of the heat spreader to maintain the silicon junction at a required peak transient temperature. The methodology is exemplified and verified by a thermal design for a medium-voltage power module.