This paper studies the overload turnoff failure in the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) devices of power multichip modules for railway traction. After a detailed experimental analysis carried out through a dedicated test circuit, electrothermal simulations at device level are also presented. The simulation strategy has consisted in inducing a current and temperature mismatch in two IGBT cells. Results show that mismatches in the electrothermal properties of the IGBT device during transient operation can lead to uneven power dissipation, significantly enhancing the risk of failure and reducing the lifetime of the power module. Concretely, simulations qualitatively demonstrate that localized hot-spot formation due to a dynamic breakdown could lead to a second breakdown mechanism.Index Terms-Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power module, power inverter reliability, railway applications, semiconductor device breakdown, semiconductor device thermal factors.
In this letter, we analyze by means of first-principles electronic structure calculations the diffusion of B impurities in 3C-SiC. We find, through molecular dynamics, that substitutional B at a Si lattice site is readily displaced by a nearby Si interstitial by the process known as a kick-out mechanism, in agreement with recent experimental results. This is in contrast to the situation in Si, where B has recently been shown to diffuse via an interstitialcy mechanism.
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