Palomar Technologies, a global leader in total process solutions for advanced photonics and microelectronic device packaging, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB in Erlangen, Germany, announced their joint research initiative in the area of high-quality, void-free power module packaging for electric vehicles.
“We are delighted to be working with Fraunhofer IISB within this new initiative,” said Bruce Hueners, CEO and President for Palomar Technologies and SST Vacuum Reflow Systems. “Palomar Technologies works with research institutes around the world to contribute to the development and advancement of techniques and technologies key to microelectronics packaging for the semiconductor industry. The work with these institutes results in new processes, new products, or new applications for industry.”
Fraunhofer IISB conducts applied research and development in the field of electronic systems for application in, e.g., electric mobility, aerospace, Industry 4.0, power grids, or energy technology. In this connection, the institute uniquely covers the entire value chain – from basic materials to whole power electronic systems.
“The packaging technologies are essential for cost effective and reliable power electronics. They offer the potential for improvements in every single domain. This cooperation will allow us to create significant progress in the field of solder materials and processing,” explained Andreas Schletz, head of the department for devices, packaging, and reliability at Fraunhofer IISB.
As part of the cooperation, Palomar will place a SST 8301 Automated Vacuum Soldering System within the Fraunhofer Institute. It will be available for demonstrations, prototypes, and research projects focusing on key components inside power electronics, dies to DBC, connectors/pins to DBC and DBC to base plate soldering. The SST 8300 Series Automated Vacuum Pressure System offers superior bond technology for soldering and/or sintering processes. The entire process takes place in a single chamber with a single process profile, however, additional chambers can be added or upgraded in the field as production capacity needs increase.
Today, the SST 8301 is the only solution to use both vacuum pressure and pressure above atmospheric, serving to drive voids close to zero. This technology solves the key problem of voiding and thermal mismatches with the larger surface area attachments in the critical DBC to Baseplate joint. The 8301 is capable of a reliable flux-less soldering with less than 1% voiding, significantly improving yielded throughput.