
Copper foils for IGBT module cooling
Copper heatsinks and heat exchangers in automobiles are currently experiencing a renaissance after aluminium heatsinks dominated the market for a long time for price reasons. The reason for this is the use of IGBT modules in electric or hybrid-electric vehicles, which require very efficient heat dissipation for reliable operation.
Vitrobraze, a copper foil from manufacturer Vacuumschmelze GmbH (Hanau, Germany) stands for 100% metallic brazing materials based on nickel, nickel-iron or copper – free of organic binders. These foils are characterised by simple, uncomplicated processing as well as excellent flow properties and uniform soldered joints with outstanding quality. They are ideally suited for flat, rectangular geometries with narrow cooling channels, without having to use flux or extract combustion gases from the organic binders. Thus, particularly compact and efficient coolers can be brazed in a health-friendly way.
Vitrobraze copper foil alloys VZ2250 and VZ2255 are primarily used for joining copper and brass heat exchangers in industrial and automotive applications. They are available in strip form and can be adapted to the required geometry by cutting to length or punching. For use in automated production and assembly steps, preforms can be produced, reducing scrap and increasing production efficiency. In some cases it is also possible to replace expensive silver brazing alloys with copper-based Vitrobraze brazing foils. All this allows the construction of thermally high performance copper coolers at low manufacturing costs.
