Ceramic housings or substrates, in which the ceramic is used as a mount for the semiconductor component and at the same time acts as electrical insulation, are currently used for encapsulation (packaging) of thermally highly loaded semiconductor components. The semiconductor component is in general mounted or soldered on the ceramic mount from its lower face, either by conductive or insulating adhesive. One such semiconductor arrangement is described in DE 10 2005 038 760 A1. In the semiconductor arrangement which is known from this document, the semiconductor component is fixed to the ceramic mount via a comparatively thick metal layer. Since the comparatively thick metal layer has a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the semiconductor material of the semiconductor component and the mount ceramic, mechanical stresses which destroy the semiconductor arrangement can occur, in particular if the semiconductor arrangement is subject to a severe temperature load.
In alternative, known semiconductor arrangements, housings composed of metal are used for semiconductor components, on which the semiconductor components are mounted electrically conductively by their lower face, with insulated connections being provided, for example via glass bushings.
Housings in which the semiconductor component is conductively adhesively bonded to a stamped metal mount, a so-called leadframe, have become standard for the encapsulation of power semiconductor components, such as transistors, with additional electrical connections being provided via further stamped contacts, and with the semiconductor component and the contacts being insert-molded with an insulating material, in general plastic or a plastic-based material.
All the known concepts reach their limits with respect to the maximum permissible temperatures, in particular when using so-called wide band gap semiconductor components. This is the case in particular at temperatures above 250° C., in particular when subject to the simultaneous influence of further environmental conditions, such as vibration or when used in a corrosive environment.