The Bosch Group: new packaging and interconnection technology (PIT) to enable electronic power modules operate reliably even at temperatures as high as 300 degrees Celsius

HotPowCon research project successfully concluded

Developing packaging and interconnection technology for high operating temperatures

• Key technology for electromobility in Germany
• New joining process is lead-free, inexpensive, and reliable
• Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

STUTTGART, 1-10-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Thanks to a new packaging and interconnection technology (PIT), it is now possible to manufacture electronic power modules that operate reliably even at temperatures as high as 300 degrees Celsius. The new PIT is the outcome of the recently concluded three-year Hot Power Connection (HotPowCon) research project, which received funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Since control electronics have to cope with very high operating temperatures, especially in hybrid and electric vehicles, the new PIT will serve as an important foundation for the further development of electromobility in Germany.

Saving energy and cutting costs
Electronic power modules such as inverters, DC/DC converters, and battery chargers are key components in electric vehicles. To push electromobility into the mainstream, the automotive industry needs power modules that are as inexpensive, energy efficient, and compact as possible. It also has to be possible to integrate logical entities such as microprocessors into the modules in order to enhance their functionality. Until now, there was no lead-free, reliable, and inexpensive PIT that was suitable for these combined logical power modules and could withstand their high operating temperatures. Existing joining techniques were either extremely expensive or used lead-based solders that harm the environment. What is more, power modules required complex cooling processes to manage the heat they generate as a result of working with high electrical output. The choice of joining technique determined the upper limit to their operating temperature.

Prepared for large-scale series production
The HotPowCon consortium has now developed a system of workable tin-based pastes that permits joining by way of isothermal solidification. This means all the module’s components can be soldered in a single joining process. The new PIT is lead-free and based on inexpensive materials. Because it can withstand very high temperatures, it greatly reduces cooling requirements. That in turn reduces power consumption and helps to cut costs. In their work on this PIT – choosing what materials to use and developing the necessary process and plant technology – the researchers paved the way for it to be used in industrial series production. They used demonstrators to show that the PIT is reliable at high temperatures.

Multidisciplinary research team
HotPowCon brought together large companies, medium-sized enterprises, universities, and research institutions. Robert Bosch GmbH led the project, and partners included Siemens AG, Heraeus Materials Technology GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitzer Werkstoffmechanik GmbH, Seho Systems GmbH, the Institute of Applied Systems and Circuits at the University of Rostock, the Center for Microtechnical Production at the Dresden University of Technology, and the Fraunhofer Institutes for Reliability and Microintegration IZM and for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS. Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG were associate partners. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research provided around half of the project’s budget of 5.5 million euros, funding the HotPowCon project as part of its “IKT 2020” research program. The newly developed PIT is also suitable for use in manufacturing inverters for photovoltaic systems, and will find application in other sectors in the future.

Background information online:
IKT 2020 program

Project partners:
Robert Bosch GmbH
Siemens AG
Heraeus Materials Technology GmbH & Co. KG
Chemnitzer Werkstoffmechanik GmbH
SEHO Systems GmbH
Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM
Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS
University of Rostock, Institute of Applied Systems and Circuits
Technische Universität Dresden, Center for Microtechnical Production

Associate partners:
Volkswagen AG
Daimler AG

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In 2013, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.1 billion euros. (NB: Due to a change in accounting policies, the 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with the 2012 figures). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, the Bosch Group invested some 4.5 billion euros in research and development and applied for some 5,000 patents. This is an average of 20 patents per day. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. 92 percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com, http://twitter.com/BoschPresse.

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