Overview
PRIMES has been created as a legal and independent entity, inheriting the successful experience of PEARL Laboratory. This has allowed to give to the structure a wide and strong international visibility as one of the best European technological platform specialized in power integration.
PRIMES puts a huge effort in developing virtual model solutions for power electronics components and systems, combined to a prototyping and characterization platform to be able to design, simulate, manufacture and characterize new power module technological demonstrators at the same place.
PRIMES bondwire-less technology with double-sided semiconductor cooling has been demonstrated for high power devices. Such technology is centred on the use of bumps for connecting the surface side of vertical power components and enables a significant improvement in power density as compared with standard IGBT modules. Chips interconnection is ensured by flat substrates both on the bottom and on the top side; additional bumps are inserted on the sides of the structure to enhance mechanical stiffness and reduce stress at device level; after proper insulation, the structure is apt for double-sided cooling, with improved performance of the semiconductor devices.
The results of the project will be produced under license by the aPSI3D start-up, created in order to have a European manufacturer able to produce specific integrated power modules.
The results will be protected by patents or disseminated through international conferences and publications.
Funding
Results
Executive Summary:
The main goal of this project was to develop highly integrated bi-directional power switches, of the kind commonly employed in building matrix converters. The activity encompassed a design phase, followed by actual fabrication and experimental evaluation and validation of the proposed solutions. The power switches for the matrix converter are based on power bond-wire-less double-sided cooled sandwich power module packaging technology. TRL6 technology maturity is demonstrated by developing, delivering and testing optimum interconnect and cooling solutions.
This project generates the knowledge and understanding required to design and manufacture efficient and reliable power modules; it delivers fully qualified modules compliant with the aircraft operational environment. To ensure compliance with the applicable reliability requirements, the design was based on a built-in reliability approach during all stages of the workflow. The outcomes of this project will benefit European competitiveness in the field of power conversion system development for avionic applications and will have significant spin offs to other application domains.
This project addresses and delivers a number of novel technology features: in particular, use of wide band-gap (Silicon carbide, SiC) was a key aspect, in view of the technology challenges it poses. An important aspect of this project is the investigation of the capability offered by silicon-carbide for the modularisation of power conversion equipment, a key aspect of exploitation for increased industrial competitiveness.
It was a 16 month project involving 1 investigator, 2 researchers. The total value is 534k€ and the requested total contribution is €401k.