Analysis of thermomechanically related failures of traction IGBT power modules at short circuit switching

Nagl, B.; Nicolics, J.; Gschohsmann, Walter

doi:10.1109/estc.2010.5642915

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The relevant layer system of the investigated subsystem is depicted in figure 1. Critical links in the package are the connections between the Al wedge bond wires and the die metallization, the solder between the die and the direct copper bonding DCB substrate as well as the DCB substrate and the base plate [3,4]. The package is encapsulated with an insulated silicone gel and its case is fitted to a base plate.…”

Section: Object Under Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electro-thermal analysis of in situ vibration measurements on IGBT modules under operation conditions

Nagl

Czerny

Lederer

et al. 2012

2012 4th Electronic System-Integration Technology Conference

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This paper discusses different application relevant electrical loading cases of an IGBT module of a power inverter. Thereby, different operation conditions such as pulse frequencies, inverter output currents and output frequencies, as well as two different operation modes are discussed. Each load case investigation is conducted by electrical, thermal, and in situ vibration measurements. Moreover, on the base of finite element analyses a deeper insight is gained into reliability relevant thermo-mechanical behavior. For this purpose an IGBT module is operated at a load of 30% to 80% of its nominal value in order to cause representative thermomechanical displacements of dies and bond wires. By applying an inverter output frequency in a range of 1 to 280 Hz a temperature ripple of up to 40 K on the dies and a vertical displacement of up to 9 µm on a bond wire is observed. These results are important to improve life-timepredictions. IntroductionIGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) power modules are often used in electronic power inverters. Due to the high voltage and current level, any switching operation results in local power loss peaks in the die causing internal stresses. These stresses can be divided into electrical, mechanical, and thermal. Due to the thermal mismatch of adjacent materials temperature variations in system components cause stresses at their interfaces [1]. These stresses are related to material dependent strain and are known as the main factor of thermomechanical fatigue [2]. This may result in a relevant degradation of the devices and affect reliability. IGBT modules often operate at constant power levels for a long period of time, as e.g. in wind power stations [5,6]. During this period, at low inverter output frequencies, the components are exposed to a cyclic thermo-mechanical deformation due to the alternating current switching from the IGBT to the diode and back. The operation frequency for this process can range from 0 Hz to 300 Hz. Especially in traction application an electrical braking until full stop (0 Hz) is requested frequently. Due to the low frequencies (≤ 5 Hz) during a longer period of time the periodic temperature T ripple during the inverter output time period 1/f output increases. The pulse frequency f pulse is usually 1 to 5 kHz. The time to thermal steady-state of the module is approximately 1 s. Therefore, the temperature differences in the IGBT package increase and decrease according to inverter output frequency f output which is often labeled as operation frequency. This effect causes higher stresses in the package and could influence the life time.

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Section: Object Under Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electro-thermal analysis of in situ vibration measurements on IGBT modules under operation conditions

Nagl

Czerny

Lederer

et al. 2012

2012 4th Electronic System-Integration Technology Conference

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“…So, as the safety current transducer is not in the path where the short-circuit occurs to protect the device, the IGBT would be immediately destroyed. In the short-circuit switching, a high voltage is present on the device together with a current up to 10 times higher than the nominal one that produces larger switching losses, which is several hundred times higher than in a normal switching cycle [23].…”

Section: Short-circuit Switching Of the Igbt Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

Prediction of short-circuit-related thermal stress in aged IGBT modules

Bahman

Iannuzzo

Uhrenfeldt

et al. 2016

2016 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE)

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In this paper, the thermal stress on bond wires of aged IGBT modules under short-circuit conditions has been studied with respect to different solder delamination levels. To ensure repeatable test conditions, ad-hoc DBC (direct bond copper) samples with delaminated solder layers have been purposely fabricated. The temperature distribution produced by such abnormal conditions has been modelled first by means of FEM simulations and then experimentally validated by means of a non-destructive testing technique including an ultra-fast infrared camera. Results demonstrate a significant imbalance in the surface temperature distribution which confirms the hypothesis that short-circuit events produce significantly uneven stresses on bond wires.

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“…Packaging of a generic insulated‐gate bipolar transistor module. The module consists of a die and the elements used to control its electronic and thermal properties (from ).…”

Section: Review Of Reliability Issues Reported For the Insulated‐gatementioning

confidence: 99%

Insulated gate bipolar transistor reliability testing protocol for PV inverter applications

Flicker

Kaplar

Yang

et al. 2013

Progress in Photovoltaics

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To decrease the cost of ownership of photovoltaic systems, less costly and more reliable photovoltaic inverters must be developed. Insulated gate bipolar transistors are a significant cause of inverter failures and system inefficiencies, so a thorough understanding of their strengths and weaknesses with regards to inverters is necessary. This paper summarizes the current state of experimentation surrounding the use of IGBTs in photovoltaic inverters and discusses their construction, use, lifetime, and reliability of IGBTs regularly used in photovoltaic inverters. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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Analysis of thermomechanically related failures of traction IGBT power modules at short circuit switching

Cited by 11 publications

References 2 publications

Electro-thermal analysis of in situ vibration measurements on IGBT modules under operation conditions

Electro-thermal analysis of in situ vibration measurements on IGBT modules under operation conditions

Prediction of short-circuit-related thermal stress in aged IGBT modules

Insulated gate bipolar transistor reliability testing protocol for PV inverter applications

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