Phase change based heat transfer for thermal management of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of science and technology, various electric drive devices and electrical systems are increasingly being utilized in the field of industrial manufacturing. The power semiconductors in this domain are primarily silicon-based insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Temperature has a direct impact on the lifespan of MOSFETs and their surrounding components. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the thermal management capabilities of MOSFET systems. In this study, computational fluid dynamics is employed to theoretically investigate the importance of including phase change material (PCM) in MOSFET systems for enhanced heat dissipation. Additionally, the impact of numerous factors, such as the shape of the MOSFET/PCM system, the type of PCM used for filling, the material of the system's main framework, and the heat transfer coefficient between the system's surface and the surrounding air on the system's thermal management capabilities were evaluated. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of PCM significantly enhances the thermal management capabilities of MOSFET systems. At the end of the simulation, the average temperature of the MOSFET in the experimental group filled with PCM-RT70HC is 49.23 $\%$ lower than that in the group without PCM filling. Considering both heat dissipation capacity and practical application difficulties, the rectangular shape is considered the most optimal for the MOSFET/PCM system compared to circular and square shapes. Additionally, among different PCMs, PCM-RT69HC exhibited the best thermal management capabilities for the MOSFET, with a system temperature reduction of 10.4 $\%$ compared to the group with the highest temperature. Furthermore, shell materials with higher thermal conductivity or heat transfer coefficients effectively reduced the temperature and temperature difference of the MOSFET. It is further noticed that enhancing the heat transfer coefficients led to improved thermal management in the MOSFET/PCM system. When comparing a system with a heat transfer coefficient of 5 $W/m^{2}K$, to one with a coefficient of 15 $W/m^{2}K$, there is a notable decrease in average temperature. Specifically, at the end of the simulation, the average temperature decreased by 13.08 $\%$, reaching 162.92 ${}^{°}C$. Additionally, the temperature difference narrowed down by 0.27 ${}^{°}C$, settling at 11.91 ${}^{°}C$.