Fast transient thermal and power dissipation modeling for multi-chip power modules: A preliminary assessment of different electro-thermal evaluation methods

Abstract

Increasing power density of high-switching frequency power modules presents a heat transfer challenge that left unaddressed can cause module failure. The first step in addressing this challenge is to estimate the maximum temperature that is observed in the module. PowerSynth, a multi-chip power module layout synthesis tool, utilizes a fast thermal model to quickly determine the steady-state maximum temperature of a power module when provided with average power dissipation. This work augments the steady-state approach in PowerSynth with a transient thermal model where temperature and power dissipation are calculated iteratively. This addition accounts for the changes in transistor parameters as a function of temperature, such as the on-state resistance, resulting in more accurate estimation of the steady-state temperature.