February 2024 – Versatile IGBT Power Module for Demanding Industrial and Automotive Applications

The SKiM63/93 power semiconductor module was launched in 2011 and today has become an important IGBT module platform for many applications.

Semikron’s Versatile IGBT Power Module

Back in February 2020 Bodo’s Power Systems published an article sharing an overview of the versatile combinations of chipsets and packaging and the resulting performance by Marco Honsberg and Anastasia Schiller from Semikron International GmbH, to read the full article click here.

Today Semikron’s SKiM63/93 is a well-established solution for demanding power and load cycling applications that employ the latest technologies. The unique design of the SKiM63/93, based on a laminated busbar structure and multiple connections between the DC-link and the substrate, delivers a very low stray inductance, making the SKiM63/93 suitable for high-speed switching operations utilising SiC chipsets, as required for DC-DC converters such as EV charging stations.

The SKiM63/93 module design allows the user to simply assemble the driver PCB on top of the module and secure the IGBT driver printed circuit board (PCB) with a well-positioned set of screws. These screws connect the IGBT driver with the SKiM63/93 without the use of solder, instead employing Semikron’s tried and tested unique spring technology. This solderless assembly simplifies overall inverter design and enables the driver to be accessed easily in the event of repair and maintenance, even in the field. The internal structure of the SKiM93 is shown in Figure 2.

Image A (on the left side) shows the structure of the low inductance laminated busbar and its multiple connections to the substrate. By connecting the power terminals to the AI2O3 ceramic substrate using three individual solid busbars, both static loss and stray inductance from terminal to the power semiconductors is reduced.

Thermal performance

Another important focus during the design stage of the actual SKiM63/93 is the thermal performance. Besides the internal structure, a high performance thermal interface material has been applied, creating an evenly distributed layer of optimal thickness. Furthermore, the choice of a low-inductance dedicated internal busbar structure provides a certain degree of freedom in IGBT and diode chip positioning. Utilising this flexibility, the IGBT and diode chips are positioned so that the thermal losses are distributed more homogeneously across the substrate. This avoids concentration of local loss density on the ceramic substrate, creating hot spots that can potentially limit performance.

The simulated loss generated in IGBT and free-wheeling diode chips and the resulting peak junction temperature distribution over the entire ceramic substrate results in fewer hot spots and allows for the development of more powerful inverter systems that utilise inexpensive heat sink designs.

The overall design of the baseplate-less SKiM63/93, which features pre-applied high-performance thermal interface material on an optimised water-based heat sink-eliminating the additional thermal resistance of a dedicated baseplate found in many off-the-shelf products deliver unprecedented power density that can be yielded from the chipset employed. The performance achieved in an optimised configuration such as this is equivalent to the capability of pin-fin IGBT modules found mainly in automotive applications, but avoids the potential risks of water leakages that are inherent in pin-fin constructions as part of a pin-fin IGBT module mounted with a gasket into the designated hole of a water-based heat sink.

Learn more about Semikron’s SKiM63/93 chip technology and reliability by reading the full article in Bodo’s Power Systems here (pg.28-32).

GD Rectifiers is an official distributor for Semikron and has partnered with them for over 50 years, offering customers their extensive semiconductor range, including: diodes, IGBTs, IGBT drivers, MOSFETs, rectifier bridges, SiC hybrid power modules, SiC power modules, thyristors and thyristor/diode modules.

For further information on Semikron’s IGBT modules, including the SKiM63/93, please call our team today on: 01444 243 452 or email: enquiries@gdrectifiers.co.uk.