Low temperature sinter technology die attachment for power electronic applications

New fields of high power inverter systems such like windmills, hybrid cars, hybrid trucks, and off road vehicles require new ways of power electronics integration and packaging. The requirements in size, weight, reliability, durability, ambient temperature, and environment are driving the operation temperatures of power electronics beyond the limits of today's industrial applications. In industrial power modules solder and bond wires are still the standard joining technologies of power dies. These technologies are reaching their reliability limits if die temperatures are pushed above 135°C. In this paper the authors will discuss how the environmental conditions of applications drive silicon power device selection and packaging technologies. Extreme cooling conditions and ultra high power densities require a package design that needs to work on the thermal and electrical limits of the components without making any compromise in reliability and durability. The low temperature sinter technology can extend the power and thermal cycling capabilities of modern power modules to the values that are required for industrial and automotive applications. Next to the reliability data also a proposal for a high volume manufacturing process of the low temperature sinter technology of multi chip modules will be presented.