IGBT Modules
Aavid Thermalloy offers several methods for cooling IGBT modules - cold plates, extruded aluminum heat sinks, bonded fin heat sinks, and fan-cooled modules.
Liquid Cooling
Liquid cooling offers the designer a significant advantage in reducing package size and increasing semiconductor life. The use of liquid cooling increases heat removal and decreases temperature rise due to the increased efficiency of the medium. Smaller, acoustically quieter, higher power output systems can be achieved.
- Maximizes cooling in a compact package
- Fits all standard IGBT module sizes
- Available in multiple lengths for single- and three-phase design
- Maintains uniform temperature under devices
Air Cooling
Air cooling is the conventional preference of design engineers due to low system cost and proven reliability and has been used for decades. Many styles of air cooled heat sinks are available to meet a wide variety of needs. Air cooling is most effective for lower power and lower power density semiconductor components and can be a limiting factor in many high density system packages.
Bonded Fin Heat SinksBonded fin heat sinks achieve a 2 to 3 times greater surface area than conventional aluminum extrusions. This allows heat removal to be increased at a given temperature rise allowing greater design flexibility in a set heat sink volume. Although slightly more expensive than aluminum extrusions bonded fin parts actually save money due to smaller size and decreased thermal resistance.
ExtrusionsConventional aluminum extrusions are offered in a wide variety of shapes, thermal performances and sizes. Available in thousands of tooled shapes new extrusions are relatively inexpensive and quick to tool. Fin extrusion ratios (fin height to open spacing between fins) do limit the number and height of fins in aluminum extrusion and can limit the area available for heat removal.