German manufacturer of materials for the assembly and packaging of devices in the electronics industry, Heraeus Electronics has developed a new power module known as the Die Top System (DTS) in collaboration with Danish engineering solutions giant Danfoss. The company has opened a new production line at its site in Hanau, Germany to manufacture the product.
The system jointly developed by Heraeus and Danfoss, offers a performance improvement by enabling copper wire bonding of the substrate, the manufacturer explained. “DTS is custom designed for the specific substrate layout and consists of a 50 µm thin copper plate with pre-applied sinter paste. The innovative system of copper wires, DTS and sintered connection to the substrate replaces traditional materials such as aluminum bonding wires and solder pastes. This is a revolutionary step in the assembly and connection technology of power modules.
“In times of climate change and increases in energy use, the demands of power modules for the efficient and reliable control of electric motors continue to rise. Modern module concepts are reaching their limits in terms of power density, current carrying capacity, and reliability to increase lifetime and reduce costs. A critical area for improving power modules is the material system used in them, as well as their electrical and thermal interconnection.
“By harmonizing the materials, the electrical and thermal conductivity as well as the reliability of the die-connection is greatly improved, and the module performance is increased by 30 percent. This gives automotive manufacturers more freedom in terms of design, as they can achieve the same performance with smaller modules and less installation space is required. The system is used by Heraeus’ customer Danfoss in the power modules they manufacture as „Danfoss Bond Buffer“ (DBB). Other customers are already waiting in the wings to use DTS in series production.”
New production line
On Friday April 15, 2022, Jan Rinnert, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors and CEO of Heraeus Holding, Claus A. Petersen, CEO of Danfoss Silicon Power, who participated virtually, and Siegbert Haumann, Vice President Automotive at Danfoss, jointly opened a new production line for the new Heraeus Electronics product at the Hanau site.
The production site in Hanau was specifically chosen to keep transport distances to sub-suppliers more manageable, the company said. The substrates are manufactured on site using the Industry 4.0 standard, in which the networking of the machines used in the production process ensures traceability of each manufacturing step. Due to the strong growth in demand already and the associated increase in production volumes, the construction of a second line is planned for 2023.
„With the opening of this new production line, Danfoss and Heraeus are making an important contribution to further the development of electromobility in Europe,” said Jan Rinnert, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors and CEO of Heraeus Holding. “This will allow us to significantly improve the range and performance of electric vehicles through our system, while strengthening the automotive industry’s intra-European supply chains.”
„The demand for electric vehicles is growing by leaps and bounds,” Claus A. Petersen, Managing Director of Danfoss Silicon Power, said. “Through collaborations like the one between Heraeus and Danfoss, we are able to deliver our world-class technologies in large quantities for the benefit of end-users and participate in the green transformation towards a sustainable future.“
