Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co. Kg

Stanley Buchert

Uwe Waltrich

Marco Bohlländer

Claus Müller

Antonio Zangaro

A power electronics converter may include: a first multi-layer planar carrier substrate having one or more electrically conductive layers; a second multi-layer planar carrier substrate having one or more electrically conductive layers; a converter commutation cell circuit including a plurality of commutation cell components that are electrically connected together via the one or more electrically conductive layers of the first planar carrier substrate and electrical connections, the commutation cell components including one or more power semiconductor switching elements in one or more power semiconductor prepackages, each power semiconductor prepackage including a power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material; one or more additional converter components electrically connected to the one or more electrically conductive layers of the second planar carrier substrate; and one or more further electrical connections connecting together one or more of the electrically conductive layers of the first carrier substrate and the second carrier substrate.

Power electronics converter with stacked carrier substrates

A method of designing and manufacturing a power electronics converter for an electrical power system is provided. A circuit design for the power electronics converter is selected. A shape constraint for integrating the power electronics converter into the electrical power system is determined, and at least one multi-layer carrier substrate is obtained according to the determined shape constraint. A plurality of power semiconductor prepackages are obtained. Each power semiconductor prepackage includes a power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material and an electrical connection extending through the solid insulating material from a terminal of the power semiconductor switching element to a connection surface of the prepackage. The power electronics converter is assembled by forming electrically conductive connections in a z-direction connecting terminals of the power semiconductor switching elements of the power semiconductor prepackages and one or more electrically conductive layers of the multi-layer carrier substrate.

Method of design and manufacture of a power electronics converter for an electrical power system, power electronics converter for an aircraft, and an aircraft

A power electronics converter includes a substrate and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element and at least one capacitor. Each power semiconductor switching element is comprised in a power semiconductor prepackage. An electrical connection side of the respective power semiconductor prepackage is spaced apart in a z direction from the substrate so as to define a prepackage gap between the substrate and the electrical connection side. At least a portion of the prepackage gap is filled with an electrically insulating material having voids. A converter parameter σ defined as an insulation fill factor divided by a maximum void size is greater than or equal to 10/mm. The insulation fill factor is defined as a cumulated volume of the voids subtracted from a volume of the electrically insulating material divided by the volume of the electrically insulating material.

Efficient power electronics arrangement

A power electronics converter includes a multi-layer planar carrier substrate and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element. Each power semiconductor switching element is included in a power semiconductor prepackage. One or more terminals of the power semiconductor switching element are connected to at least one conductive layer of the multi-layer planar carrier substrate at an electrical connection side of the power semiconductor prepackage. The electrical connection side is spaced apart in a z-direction from the carrier substrate by a prepackage gap. A peak rated power output of the power electronics converter is greater than or equal to 25 kW, and a converter parameter θ, which is defined as a size in the z-direction of the prepackage gap divided by a maximum electric field strength in the prepackage gap, is less than or equal to 300 pm/V.

High voltage power converter

Electrical arrangement including an insulating underfill region with a high fill factor

A power electronics converter may include a converter commutation cell having a power circuit and a gate driver circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element and at least one capacitor. Each power semiconductor switching element is included in a power semiconductor prepackage, each prepackage including one or more power semiconductor switching elements embedded in a solid insulating material, each power semiconductor switching element having at least three terminals including a gate terminal. The gate driver circuit is electrically connected to and configured to provide switching signals to the gate terminal of each of the at least one power semiconductor switching element. A peak rated power output of the power electronics converter is greater than 25 kW and a value of a converter parameter δ is greater than or equal to 0.5 PV/FH.

A device includes a circuit carrier board and a conductor element that is configured to transfer an electric current from and/or to the circuit carrier board. The device includes an electrically conductive, elastically deformable, contoured, plate-like connection element that connects the circuit carrier board to the conductor element and is configured to create a local, dynamic resilience. As a result of this, a force transmission front the conductor element to the circuit carrier board may be reduced. A plate thickness of the connection element is at least 2 cm. A power converter and an aircraft having such a device are also provided.

Device for power transmission, power converter, and aircraft

A power electronics converter includes a multi-layer planar carrier substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive layers, at least one electrical connection, and a converter commutation cell comprising a power circuit and a gate driver circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element and at least one capacitor. Each power semiconductor switching element is included in a power semiconductor prepackage having one or more power semiconductor switching elements embedded in a solid insulating material. The power electronics converter includes a heat sink configured to remove heat from the power semiconductor prepackage. A converter parameter η is greater than or 20 equal to 100 kW/m3K, η being defined as a heat transfer coefficient between the heat removal side of the power semiconductor prepackage and a cooling medium of the heat sink divided by the size of a gap between the power semiconductor prepackage and the heat sink.

Power electronics heat removal

A power electronics converter includes a carrier substrate, and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes a power semiconductor switching element included in a power semiconductor prepackage. The power semiconductor prepackage includes a power semiconductor switching element and an electrical connection extending from a terminal of the power semiconductor switching element to an electrical connection side of the power semiconductor prepackage. The power electronics converter includes a heat sink arranged to remove heat from the power semiconductor prepackage, a thermal interface layer arranged between the heat removal side of the power semiconductor prepackage and the heat sink, and an electrical isolation layer arranged between the power semiconductor switching element and the heat sink. A product of a thermal conductivity of the thermal interface layer and a breakdown electric field strength of the electrical isolation layer is greater than or equal to 5 MVW/mK.

Co-operating electrical isolation and thermal interface layers in a high voltage power converter

A power electronics converter includes a multi-layer planar carrier substrate, and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element, each of which is comprised in a power semiconductor prepackage. Each power semiconductor prepackage includes one or more power semiconductor switching elements embedded in a solid insulating material. A heat sink is arranged to remove heat from the respective power semiconductor prepackage. A thermal interface layer is arranged between a heat removal side of the respective power semiconductor prepackage and the heat sink. The thermal interface layer has a thermal conductivity and a mechanical compressibility. A converter parameter, which is defined as the mechanical compressibility of the thermal interface layer divided by the thermal conductivity of the thermal interface layer, satisfies 0.1 MNK/Wm&#x3c;&#x3a9;&#x3c;1 GNK/Wm.

Thermal interface materials

An electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft includes an electrical propulsion unit that has a propeller or a fan configured to be driven to rotate by an electric motor arranged to receive electrical power from an inverter. The inverter includes a carrier substrate, and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element. Each power semiconductor switching element is comprised in a power semiconductor prepackage. A heat sink is arranged to remove heat from the respective power semiconductor prepackage. The heat sink is spaced apart from the carrier substrate to define a heat sink gap between the carrier substrate and the heat sink. A converter parameter &#x3c6;, which is defined as a size of the heat sink gap divided by a maximum electric field strength in the heat sink gap, is less than or equal to 20 nm/V.

Substrate-to-heat-sink gap sizing in high voltage power converters

An electrical power system includes an electrical machine having one or more windings and an AC-DC power electronics converter including a commutation cell having a power circuit and a gate driver circuit. The power circuit includes a plurality of power semiconductor switching elements and a capacitor. The gate driver circuit is electrically connected to and configured to provide switching signals to a gate terminal of each power semiconductor switching element. A peak rated power output of the electrical machine and the AC-DC power electronics converter is greater than 25 kW, a maximum efficiency of the AC-DC power electronics converter is greater than 97%, and a value of parameter &#x3b2; is greater than or equal to 0.3 PV/s, where &#x3b2; is a product of a maximum switching frequency of the switching signals and a maximum rate of change of a source-drain voltage of the plurality of power semiconductor switching elements.

Voltage ramping in an electrical power system including a power-dense inverter

A power electronics converter may include a converter commutation cell having a power circuit and a gate driver circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element and at least one capacitor. Each power semiconductor switching element is included in a power semiconductor prepackage, each prepackage including one or more power semiconductor switching elements embedded in a solid insulating material, each power semiconductor switching element having at least three terminals including a gate terminal. The gate driver circuit is electrically connected to and configured to provide switching signals to the gate terminal of each of the at least one power semiconductor switching element. A peak rated power output of the power electronics converter is greater than 25 kW and a value of a converter parameter &#x3b1; is less than or equal to 5 pHm.

Low inductance power converter with compact commutation cell

A power electronics converter includes a carrier substrate, and a converter commutation cell including a power circuit. The power circuit includes at least one power semiconductor switching element. Each power semiconductor switching element is comprised in a power semiconductor prepackage. One or more terminals of each power semiconductor switching element are connected to at least one conductive layer of the carrier substrate at an electrical connection side of the respective power semiconductor prepackage. The electrical connection side is spaced apart from the carrier substrate by a gap. At least a portion of the gap is filled with an electrically insulating material with voids. A peak rated power output of the power electronics converter is greater than 25 kW, and a converter parameter, which is defined as a product of a dielectric strength of the electrically insulating material and a maximum void size, is less than or equal to 10,000 V.

Dielectric strength and void size in electrical isolation material of a power converter

An electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft includes a plurality of electrical propulsion units (EPUs), each EPU having a propeller or a fan configured to be driven to rotate by an electrical motor arranged to receive electrical power from a respective power electronics converter. Each power electronics converter includes a converter commutation cell having a power circuit and a gate driver circuit, the power circuit including at least one power semiconductor switching element and at least one capacitor. At least one terminal of each power conducting switching element is connected to at least one electrically conductive layer of a multi-layer planar carrier substrate at an electrical connection side of a power semiconductor prepackage, which includes at least one electrically conductive layer located on an opposite side of the power semiconductor switching element to the electrical connection side of the power semiconductor prepackage.

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Herzogenaurach, Germany

Stanley Buchert