Miniaturizing power electronics using multichip module technology

This paper describes the design and fabrication of a three-phase inverter small enough to be housed integral with the frame of an induction motor. The design incorporates the power switching elements and their drivers, as well as the controller on a single silicon substrate. All the active devices placed on the substrate are in bare die form in order to achieve a compact design such as the package housing the electronics for the inverter is only 9 cm square. This application demonstrates that multichip technology is an effective means of reducing the size of the active components in power electronic packaging and power electronic equipment.