CONTACT 
Effective Thermal Management for Inverters
Inverters are key building parts in energy conversion. Thermal power losses in inverters occur during operation due to electrical resistance and switching losses in the semiconductor chips. The losses result from the conversion of direct and alternating current AC/DC. It is crucial to minimize these losses by transferring them to the heat sink in the best possible way to increase the overall efficiency.
Inverters
Inverters are built either from discrete components or with power modules. Typically, IGBTs and MOSFETs are used, and increasingly advanced SiC and GaN chips. The latter offer higher switching speeds and better power efficiency. However, they generate more heat, so even more efficient thermal management is required.
Thermal Interface Materials for Power Converters
For optimized heat flow, various thermal conductive materials can be used. These include thermal conductive pastes (TCP), phase change materials (PCM), ultra thermally conductive silicone-carbon films without dielectric insulation properties and thermally conductive insulating films such as thermosilicone films or PCM coated Kapton and polyimide films as well as thermally conductive silicone caps and sleeves with insulation properties. When designing-in electrical insulation films, attention must be paid to creepage distances and CTI in addition to thermal conductivity and insulation requirements.
HALA YOUR SPECIALIST
HALA specializes in thermal interface material (TIM) design-in and customized solutions. We believe that efficient thermal management further drives not only performance, but also sustainability of applications.
For larger gap compensation in inverter housings, gap fillers up to 20 W/mK are available. For complete encapsulation of power electronics boards, see our thermally conductive potting gels.
Contact us to find out how we can improve your thermal management.
FAQ
Power converters and inverters use thermally conductive insulating films such as thermosilicone foils and PCM-coated polyimide films for substrate-to-heatsink interfaces, phase change materials for lowest thermal resistance at baseplate interfaces, graphite foils for lateral heat spreading, thermally conductive grease for reworkable flat surface interfaces, and silicone caps and sleeves for discrete TO-package semiconductors.
Discrete inverter designs use individual IGBTs or MOSFETs mounted directly to heat sinks — requiring individually sized insulating films, silicone caps or sleeves for each component. Power module inverters use pre-packaged modules with base plates, where phase change materials or thermally conductive grease are applied at the module-to-heatsink interface.
SiC and GaN chips offer higher switching speeds and better power efficiency than conventional IGBTs, but they generate more heat per unit area due to higher power density. This makes optimal TIM selection at every interface in the thermal path critical — even small reductions in thermal resistance translate directly to higher efficiency and longer component lifetime. See also: TIMs for power modules.
When designing-in electrical insulation films for inverters, attention must be paid to dielectric strength (kV/mm), creepage distances, Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) and operating temperature range — in addition to thermal conductivity. HALA offers films from Kapton polyimide up to 250 kV/mm through to thermally conductive silicone foils with lower dielectric strength but higher thermal conductivity. HALA’s thermal analysis service can support the selection process.
Yes. HALA specialises in TIM design-in for specific inverter and power converter applications — from material selection and thermal analysis through prototype sampling to series supply of custom die-cut parts. Contact HALA’s experts for a free consultation and sample.
