1. A power semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor body;
an active portion of the power semiconductor device formed in the semiconductor body; and
an electrically conductive element electrically coupled to the active portion in the semiconductor body, the electrically conductive element comprising:
an electrically conductive material; and
a plurality of inclusions of a phase change material, the phase change material having a phase transition temperature Tc between 150\xb0 C. and 400\xb0 C.,
wherein the inclusions are separated from each other and embedded in the electrically conductive material.
2. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is solid at a temperature below Tc and is liquid at a temperature above Tc.
3. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is at least one selected from the group consisting of tin, bismuth, zinc and indium.
4. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive material is a metal.
5. The power semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the metal is aluminum or copper.
6. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the inclusions have a diameter of 0.1 to 10 \u03bcm.
7. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a mass ratio of the phase change material to the electrically conductive element is more than 30 mass-% and less than 95 mass-%.
8. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a volume ratio of the phase change material to the electrically conductive element is more than 35 volume-% and less than 95 volume-%.
9. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive element has a thickness between 1 \u03bcm and 100 \u03bcm.
10. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive element is patterned so as to form lines.
11. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive element is disposed at least at one side of the semiconductor body and patterned so as to form a wiring structure.
12. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive element is configured to conduct a current from the active portion in the semiconductor body to a first or to a second load terminal.
13. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein:
the semiconductor device is a vertical semiconductor device comprising a first load terminal contact at a first side of the semiconductor body and a second load terminal contact at a second side of the semiconductor body opposite the first side;
the semiconductor device is configured to conduct a load current between the first and the second load terminal contacts along a vertical direction perpendicular to the main surface;
the electrically conductive element is configured to conduct a current from the active portion in the semiconductor body to the first or to the second load terminal.
14. The power semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a transistor cell array, the electrically conductive element being electrically coupled to at least one of the group consisting of a source terminal of the transistor cell array, a drain terminal of the transistor cell array, and a gate terminal of the transistor cell array.
15. A method of manufacturing a power semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor body, active portions of the power semiconductor device being formed in the semiconductor body, and an electrically conductive element, wherein forming the electrically conductive element comprises:
forming an electrically conductive material; and
forming a plurality of agglomerations of a phase change material, the phase change material having a phase transition temperature between 150\xb0 C. and 400\xb0 C.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming an electrically conductive layer over a surface of the electrically conductive material and the agglomerations.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the electrically conductive layer is formed by sputtering.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the plurality of agglomerations comprises forming a thin layer of 20 to 1000 nm of the phase change material on the electrically conductive material by sputtering.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein the phase change material is at least one selected from the group consisting of tin, bismuth, zinc and indium.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein a diameter of the agglomerations is 0.05 to 10 \u03bcm.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An automated food product dispenser comprising:
an interface connection configured to establish a supply of a milk based fluid from a milk based fluid reservoir;
a mixing device configured to receive the milk based fluid and prepare a milk based product;
a nozzle in fluid association with the mixing device to dispense the milk based product,
a product flowpath configured to direct the milk based product to flow from the interface connection through the mixing device to the nozzle, and
a clean-in-place flowpath assembly located in the dispenser and including a supply of cleaning or sanitizing fluid and a flowpath which is configured to deliver the cleaning or sanitizing fluid to or through the product flowpath.
2. The automated food product dispenser of claim 1, wherein the supply of cleaning or sanitizing fluid is produced within the dispenser by mixing a chemical cleaning concentrate, supplied from a concentrate supply, with water supplied from a water supply to generate a chemical cleaning agent for use as the cleaning or sanitizing fluid.
3. The automated food product dispenser of claim 1, wherein the clean-in-place flowpath assembly further includes a buffer reservoir configured to receive a buffer volume of the cleaning or sanitizing fluid, and a line associated with the reservoir and configured to direct the fluid from the buffer reservoir through the product flowpath, wherein the fluid cleans the product flowpath through which it flows, and a drain associated with the assembly to remove cleaning fluid therefrom.
4. The automated food product dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a water supply for producing the cleaning or sanitizing fluid.
5. The automated food product dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a central controller including a timer to control a full cleaning-in-place process.
6. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, further comprising a control panel, wherein the central controller is programmed to run the full cleaning-in-place process in response to user demand.
7. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, wherein the central controller is programmed to automatically run a time-controlled delivery of one cleaning cycle of chemical cleaning agent through the product flowpath or at least one sanitizing cycle of heated fluid through the product flowpath.
8. The automated food product dispenser of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to provide a pre-rinsing cycle in the full cleaning-in-place process that takes place just before the cleaning cycle.
9. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, further comprising a removable container that contains the source of chemical cleaning concentrate and is connected in the clean-in-place flowpath assembly to a shut-off valve that is controlled by the controller to deliver and, to optionally meter, an amount of cleaning concentrate to the buffer reservoir for preparing the cleaning or sanitizing agent for the product flowpath.
10. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, wherein the interface connection is adapted to engage the milk based fluid reservoir wherein the milk based fluid reservoir includes a flexible hose portion and a fitment; the interface connection including a fluid chamber having a cleaning or sanitizing fluid inlet that allows the cleaning or sanitizing fluid to enter the fluid chamber, a product inlet for the milk based fluid to enter the fluid chamber and a product outlet for a milk based product to exit the fluid chamber to the product flowpath; and connection means at the product inlet configured for hygienically and removably connecting the fitment of the milk based fluid reservoir to the fluid chamber.
11. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, wherein the mixing device in includes a mixing bowl configured to collect the milk based fluid, water and other beverage forming components; and a mixer to mix the milk based fluid, water and other beverage forming components together to form the milk based product.
12. The automated food product dispenser of claim 11, wherein the clean-in-place flowpath assembly further includes a mixing bowl feed line for directly directing cleaning or sanitizing fluid to the mixing bowl to clean the mixing bowl and the product flowpath that is arranged downstream of the mixing bowl.
13. The automated food product dispenser of claim 12, wherein the clean-in-place flowpath assembly further includes one or more valves controlled by the controller to selectively open or close either the mixing bowl feed line or a portion of the product flowpath.
14. The automated food product dispenser of claim 11, wherein the mixing bowl further includes an outer skirt that surrounds the mixing bowl and a fluid outlet connected to a downstream cleaning fluid evacuation conduit of the clean-in-place flowpath assembly,
wherein the outer skirt is configured in a manner to collect fluid that overflows the bowl, and
wherein the downstream cleaning fluid evacuation conduit is configured to selectively direct the collected fluid to the buffer reservoir to recirculate the cleaning or sanitizing fluid, or to the drain.
15. The automated food product dispenser of claim 11, wherein the mixer can be controlled to:
run intermittently to assist in making the cleaning fluid overflow the mixing bowl when the whipper is in a turn-off mode and,
to assist in driving the cleaning or sanitizing fluid through the bowl and product flowpath to the nozzle when the whipper is in a turn-on mode.
16. The automated food product dispenser of claim 5, wherein the nozzle is controlled by the controller to be positioned in either
a dispensing position wherein the milk based product is dispensed to a dispensing zone, or
a cleaning position wherein the nozzle is in fluid communication the buffer reservoir to recirculate cleaning or sanitizing fluid or to drain cleaning fluid from the mixing bowl.
17. The automated food product dispenser of claim 1, which is intended for operation at room temperature and which does not include a refrigeration or freezing unit associated with the milk based fluid reservoir.
18. The automated food product dispenser of claim 10, which further comprises a valve adapted to be controlled by the controller to operatively engage the flexible hose portion to selectively block flow of the milk based fluid at a closing point.
19. The automated food product dispenser of claim 10, which further comprises projection means for promoting cleaning of the fitment and flexible hose portion up to the closing point.