Review of Topside Interconnections for Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Packaging

Due to their superior material properties, wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors enable the application of power electronics at higher temperature operation, higher frequencies, and higher efficiencies compared to silicon (Si). However, the commonly-used aluminum wire bonding as topside interconnection...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on power electronics 2023-01, Vol.38 (1), p.472-490
Main Authors: Wang, Lisheng, Wang, Wenbo, Hueting, Raymond J. E., Rietveld, Gert, Ferreira, Jan Abraham
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Bonding
Challenges
Electronic devices
Energy gap
Failure modes
gallium nitride (GaN)
Gallium nitrides
Integrated circuit interconnections
interconnection materials
Interconnections
Material properties
Packaging
Power semiconductor devices
Reliability
semiconductor device reliability
Semiconductors
Silicon
Silicon carbide
silicon carbide (SiC)
topside interconnections
wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors
Wire
Wires
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Summary:Due to their superior material properties, wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors enable the application of power electronics at higher temperature operation, higher frequencies, and higher efficiencies compared to silicon (Si). However, the commonly-used aluminum wire bonding as topside interconnection technology prevents WBG semiconductors from reaching their full potential, due to inherent parasitic inductances, large size, heat dissipation, and reliability issues of wire bonding technology. Therefore, this article presents a comprehensive review of topside interconnection technologies of WBG semiconductor power devices and modules. First, the challenges and driving factors for the interconnection of WBG semiconductor dies are discussed. Second, for each widely commercially used WBG semiconductor, i.e., silicon carbide and gallium nitride, technical details and innovative features of state-of-the-art interconnection techniques in packages are reviewed. Then, the majority of existing topside interconnection materials for WBG semiconductors are categorized and compared, followed by a discussion of their advantages, challenges, and failure modes. Based on this elaborate discussion, potential future directions of the interconnection technology development are given. It is concluded that the superior performance of WBG semiconductors can be obtained by combining novel materials with innovative designs for the topside interconnections.
ISSN:0885-8993
1941-0107
DOI:10.1109/TPEL.2022.3200469