power electronics with hybrid circuit boards

 Compared to conventional ceramic power electronics, so-called hybrid PCBs are not only much more versatile but also up to 20 times cheaper. This could close the market gap in the medium term and therefore make an important contribution to future mobility.

 “Imagine two copper blocks with the same surface area but different cross-sectional thicknesses,” says project manager Wu-Sik Chung of the Micro Joining Group at Fraunhofer ILT, violating a newly developed manufacturing process. “The thicker the block, the greater the current. Where the highest amperage is required, we reinforce the PCB.

 Where it is necessary for the current to flow little, we save material. " In the past, with standardized manufacturing processes, selective thickening of individual sections to make a welded joint was very expensive. With the BMWi-funded CLAPE project, Fraunhofer ILT, ILFA GmbH and French SME Ouest Coating has successfully tackled this problem over the past three years.

One component, multiple functions

“Until now, the rule was: you used a thin PCB or a thick PCB, or depending on the application,” Chung explains. “A current transformer for charging batteries in electric vehicles, for example, requires a high current for a short retro of time for the charging process. On the other hand, it only takes a few milliamps to transmit a current signal to an LED lamp. "Our the new manufacturing process allows us to simultaneously perform both signal transmission and current transmission on the same PCB."

 This is made possible by the successful recipe of two proven processes. The researchers used specially adapted printed circuit boards that were selectively thickened by spraying with cold gas according to specific requirements. Thus, conductive paths of different thicknesses can be soldered to the PCB by laser microwave welding without thermal damage. Advantage of the process: Due to the specificity of the signal and current transmission chips, the resulting hybrid PCBs not only take up less space but also distribute power more efficiently.

 “In the future, our hybrid PCBs may combine different functions in one component,” says Wu-Sik Chang. “If the process is put into practice, both the space for the power electronics and the total weight of the electric vehicles can be significantly reduced, resulting in increased range and minor CO2 emissions in the long term. This is also a tremendously important finding, as the incomes required to manufacture power electronics chips are limited.

Great operational potential

The fact that higher efficiency is also more profitable makes the new Fraunhofer ILT development particularly attractive to industry. This is especially true when considering Germany's climate targets, which were recently revised upwards, which would have cut 65% of CO2 by 2030 and the country should be climate neutral by 2045. Instead of centralizing several energy providers, a decentralized network of many energy providers should be provided: for example, solar panels, private biogas and wind farms. Another central element of the strategy is electric mobility. In the future, batteries for electric vehicles will be able to store or supply energy. When you need it.

The most important driving forces for revolution in this area are, in particular, the chemical and electronics industries, with their many years of experience. This follows from a study by the Viennese Zukunftsinstitut. According to the study, traditional car producers have more than 60% knowledge of internal combustion engines and only 15% of electric motors. Thus, knowledge of conventional motors and transmissions is of secondary importance to electromobility. New technologies are in demand in the flexibility industry and beyond, such as the industrial process developed at CLAPE for hybrid PCBs in power electronics.

“We completed the project very recently,” says Chang. “The technology is not yet ready to go to market and some adjustments are still needed before it can be put into practice. But we have already been able to show that there are promising technological alternatives to the status quo. "The next research goal is to optimize the selectivity of the cold gas spraying process and further reduce costs." We still have a lot to slog on here. But it also shows us the enormous potential that technology has when it can be used in a commercially viable way.

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