Investigation of Thermal Deformation Characteristics in IGBT Modules Under Bonding Wire Cracking Condition

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation of dynamic thermal deformation characteristics in insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules under bonding wire cracking condition by means of finite element simulation and experimental validation. Firstly, a realistically restored three-dimensional geometric model for IGBT modules is constructed and simulated to investigate thermal deformation field. Then the thermal deformation field characteristics under bonding wire intact and cracked conditions are compared and analyzed indepth. The result shows that the thermal deformation fluctuation amplitude of the cracked bonding wire decreases by 82%, while the thermal deformation value of other unbroken wires increases by 35% on average. Finally, the experimental verification is carried out, and the conclusion shows that it coincides well with the simulation results. This work provides confident evidence and important data to facilitate more precise life-time predictions and thermal-mechanical reliability assessment for power electronic modules.