Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor Power Research Articles

Reliability evaluation of IGBT power module on electric vehicle using big data

There are challenges to the reliability evaluation for insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) on electric vehicles, such as junction temperature measurement, computational and storage resources. In this paper, a junction temperature estimation approach based on neural network without additional cost is proposed and the lifetime calculation for IGBT using electric vehicle big data is performed. The direct current (DC) voltage, operation current, switching frequency, negative thermal coefficient thermistor (NTC) temperature and IGBT lifetime are inputs. And the junction temperature (T j) is output. With the rain flow counting method, the classified irregular temperatures are brought into the life model for the failure cycles. The fatigue accumulation method is then used to calculate the IGBT lifetime. To solve the limited computational and storage resources of electric vehicle controllers, the operation of IGBT lifetime calculation is running on a big data platform. The lifetime is then transmitted wirelessly to electric vehicles as input for neural network. Thus the junction temperature of IGBT under long-term operating conditions can be accurately estimated. A test platform of the motor controller combined with the vehicle big data server is built for the IGBT accelerated aging test. Subsequently, the IGBT lifetime predictions are derived from the junction temperature estimation by the neural network method and the thermal network method. The experiment shows that the lifetime prediction based on a neural network with big data demonstrates a higher accuracy than that of the thermal network, which improves the reliability evaluation of system.

Thermal and electrical evaluation of insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power modules

The thermal reliability of two different high-power insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules was studied under both conduction and switching regimes by experimental and numerical approaches. Indeed, the reliability of semiconductor devices is tightly linked to the junction temperatures reached in the IGBT, which is a function of the diode chips present in such devices and its operating condition. However, measurements of the semiconductor temperatures are often difficult to be done, thus requiring modeling and simulation tools to accurately evaluate the instantaneous temperature under different thermal loads. For this reason, a transient 3D heat transfer numerical model of two different IGBT power devices was proposed using the Finite Element Method, assuming that heat is dissipated on the IGBT by natural convection and radiation. These simulations were validated with experimental measurements, obtained through infrared thermography, performed for the IGBT modules either opened or enclosed, varying the heat source, the module orientation and under conduction or switching regime. For the switching regime, power losses due to the gate-closing and gate-opening transitions between conducting and non-conducting states were taken into consideration. The heat losses were modeled assuming the time-dependent heat dissipation obtained by previous electrical simulations, and it was compared with time-averaged heat source solutions. Results showed that averaging the heat source can significantly reduce the computational time, allowing quick design explorations. Overall, the numerical model led to deviations of less than 16% over the transient heating and at steady-state. Finally, the impact of a heat sink attached to the IGBT was studied, demonstrating that the proposed model can be used for accurate and quick investigations of potential failures and for the development of more efficient IGBT devices.

Single PCB sensor-based output current reproduction for three-phase inverter systems

This study proposes a practical output current measurement system in a three-phase inverter with a single printed circuit board (PCB) Rogowski coil sensor inserted in the bus between the DC-link capacitor and the power semiconductor module. This system demonstrates its advantage over conventional output current sensors, such as the Hall effect current sensors, in terms of the size, weight, operation temperature and cost. The system can be applied to 6-in-1 power modules as it does not require sensors in the inverter phase legs.In our previous works, we have developed a method called “envelope tracking”, which is used in this system as well. This method traces the switching current instead of the output current to reproduce the output current signal in real-time. Envelope tracking successfully reproduced the output current waveform for single phase inverters under certain conditions. However, a large error is observed in the three-phase inverter demonstration under a high switching frequency (narrow pulse) or when the switching of different phases overlap each other. These errors must be completely suppressed to implement the system for feedback control in three-phase inverters.In this study, a new analog basis output current waveform reproduction system is introduced to suppress the above mentioned errors. This system is implemented in a three-phase insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) inverter and successfully reproduces the output current with a single PCB sensor inserted between a 6-in-1 IGBT power module and DC-link capacitor, operating under a switching frequency of 3.5–7.0 kHz and output current of 6 A with DC-link voltage of 150 V.

Multi-physics coupling analysis of high-power IGBT module bonding wires fault considering stray inductance of main circuit

The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module is subjected to unbalanced electric-thermal stress for a long time due to its own turn-on and turn-off, the fluctuation of processing power and the change of external operating environment, resulting in fatigue failure. And there is a strong coupling effect between its electrical, temperature and mechanical properties. At the same time, the fatigue failure of IGBT module is also the result of multi-physical field coupling. This paper reveals the influence mechanism of main circuit stray inductance on the electric-thermal-stress coupling characteristics of high power IGBT module bonding wires fault in the context of mine-used inverter application. First, the inverter main circuit topology model considering stray inductance is constructed, and the loss value of the power chip is obtained based on extracting the busbar stray inductance and establishing the IGBT module behavior model, and the validity of the results is verified. Secondly, the package structure model of IGBT module is established and the failure analysis boundary conditions are determined, and then the joint circuit-finite element method is used to reveal the operation behavior characteristics of IGBT module under the combined action of multi-physical fields. Finally, the influence of main circuit stray inductance on the multi-physical field coupling characteristics of IGBT module and its change law are compared and analyzed under the bonding wires fault condition to study the causes of fatigue failure of IGBT module.

Research Progress in Failure Mechanism and Health State Evaluation Index System of Welded IGBT Power Modules

As the performance requirements of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) in various fields of power electronic systems are increasing, the IGBT power module package structure, aging mechanism analysis, and selection of health state characteristic parameters are of great significance to ensure the normal operation of power systems. At present, research on the aging failure of welded IGBT modules is relatively comprehensive and can be divided into chip aging failure and package aging failure according to their failure parts. However, there is some research on the relationship between aging failure and the characteristic quantity of power modules, but no definite system has been formed. Therefore, in this paper, the packaging structure of the solder-type IGBT modules and the aging mechanism caused by different aging reasons were summarized. Moreover, the health status monitoring of solder-type IGBT modules from the junction temperature, bonding line, solder layer, and package insulation aging health status monitoring and its quantitative assessment research progress was analyzed in detail. Also, the health state evaluation index system of the solder-type IGBT modules was completed on the basis of voltage, current, thermal, insulation parameters, and other characteristic quantities. Finally, based on the analysis of domestic and international research problems, the development trend and direction of the condition monitoring technology of solder-type IGBT modules is foreseen. The research on condition monitoring for welded IGBT module technology has a certain significance.

Thermal Performance Optimization of Integrated Microchannel Cooling Plate for IGBT Power Module.

In high-integration electronic components, the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power module has a high working temperature, which requires reasonable thermal analysis and a cooling process to improve the reliability of the IGBT module. This paper presents an investigation into the heat dissipation of the integrated microchannel cooling plate in the silicon carbide IGBT power module and reports the impact of the BL series micropump on the efficiency of the cooling plate. The IGBT power module was first simplified as an equivalent-mass block with a mass of 62.64 g, a volume of 15.27 cm3, a density of 4.10 g/cm3, and a specific heat capacity of 512.53 J/(kg·K), through an equivalent method. Then, the thermal performance of the microchannel cooling plate with a main channel and a secondary channel was analyzed and the design of experiment (DOE) method was used to provide three factors and three levels of orthogonal simulation experiments. The three factors included microchannel width, number of secondary inlets, and inlet diameter. The results show that the microchannel cooling plate significantly reduces the temperature of IGBT chips and, as the microchannel width, number of secondary inlets, and inlet diameter increase, the junction temperature of chips gradually decreases. The optimal structure of the cooling plate is a microchannel width of 0.58 mm, 13 secondary inlets, and an inlet diameter of 3.8 mm, and the chip-junction temperature of this structure is decreased from 677 °C to 77.7 °C. In addition, the BL series micropump was connected to the inlet of the cooling plate and the thermal performance of the microchannel cooling plate with a micropump was analyzed. The micropump increases the frictional resistance of fluid flow, resulting in an increase in chip-junction temperature to 110 °C. This work demonstrates the impact of micropumps on the heat dissipation of cooling plates and provides a foundation for the design of cooling plates for IGBT power modules.

Fault Recognition of Multilevel Inverter Using Artificial Neural Network Approach

This paper focuses on the development of a diagnostic tool for detecting insulated gate bipolar transistor power electronic switch flaws caused by both open and short circuit faults in multi-level inverter time-frequency output voltage specifications. High-resolution laboratory virtual instrument engineering workbench software testing tool with a sample rate data collection system, as well as specialized signal processing and soft computing technologies, are used in this proposed method. On a single-phase cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter, simulation and experimental investigations of both open and short issues of the insulated gate bipolar transistor components are performed out. In all conceivable switch issues, the output voltage signals are evaluated for different modulation index values. Fast fourier transform and discrete wavelet transform methods are used to investigate the frequency domain properties of output voltage signals. In the artificial neural network, the back propagation training technique was employed, and the generated neural parameter values were used in the Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench real-time fault diagnosis model.

Online Junction Temperature Measurement of Double-sided Cooling IGBT Power Module through On-state Voltage with High Current

The aim of this study is to achieve online monitoring of the junction temperature of double-sided-cooling insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power modules by using the on-state voltage under a high current to maximize the utilization of IGBT power chips. Online junction temperature measurement plays an important role in improving the reliability of the inverter with IGBT, increasing the power density of the motor controller of electric vehicles, and reducing the cost of electric vehicles.

FBG Head Size Influence on Localized On-Chip Thermal Measurement in IGBT Power Modules

This article studies the influence of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) head length on insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) direct on-chip thermal sensing performance of FBG sensors. To this end, the surface of a commercial IGBT chip is thermally simulated and experimentally characterized. Uniform FBG sensors with three head sizes are then tested in two promising thermal sensing locations. The study has found that the large thermal gradients in this application create an additional constraint when using longer head lengths. A distortion in the reflected spectrum of the 5-mm FBG sensor is used to illustrate the underlying physical effect, which causes this limitation for IGBT junction temperature measurement. This additionally affects the length of head sizes providing accurate temperature readings of the IGBT surface hotspots, and significantly, this limit is location-dependent in a given IGBT geometry.

Numerical simulation and optimization of heat dissipation structure for high power insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)

With the increasing integration level of IGBT components, heat dissipation capacity determines whether its working state is stable. The third-generation semiconductor chips are expected to be made of SiC or GaN materials, with lower power loss and higher thermostability. Currently, the widely used backplane heat dissipation schemes cannot meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power IGBT modules. In this study, an aluminium alloy shell with an AlN column is proposed to replace the traditional plastic shell to further improve the heat dissipation of IGBT devices. 180°C is set as the expected maximum temperature of the module, and finite element modelling and analysis of the heat dissipation structure of the IGBT device is carried out. Four types of design schemes are compared and the heat dissipation structure is optimized. AlN heat-transfer blocks and Ag sintering are introduced to realise the novel design. The results show that traditional single-side heat dissipation can not meet the requirements. The improved double-side dissipation scheme meets the requirement when the heat sink fin height is more than 15mm. And the optimized heat sink shall have 14 fins of 20mm in height. The results of this study can provide a reference for the thermal management and design of high-power third-generation semiconductor devices.

Design and Development of a Measurement System Dedicated to Estimate the Junction Temperature of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor Modules

The damage state estimation of an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power module requires the measurement of the junction temperature (Tj) of the active region. However, the accurate measurement of the temperature Tj is not simple to achieve and several methods have been developed to improve the accuracy of Tj measurements. Some of the well-known methods include the use of thermo-sensitive electrical parameters (TSEP). Although the TSEP methods do not provide access to the thermal mapping of the IGBT surface, they have the advantage of not affecting the physical integrity of the module. This paper aims to present a reliable programmable measurement system dedicated to estimating with great accuracy the thermal performance of the IGBT power module on the microsecond scale using the TSEP method. The advantage of this system is to provide full control of the injection of the power current and allows quick measurements of the cooling curve just after the injection of the heating power in the chip. The junction temperature calculated from the TSEP was found to be equal to 97.5 °C, which was confirmed by using the thermal camera. The accuracy of the proposed technique was found to be less than 2%. A comparison with the thermal Resistor-Capacitor (RC) network model is also carried out in this work. Experimental results demonstrate that the designed system is high efficiency and can, therefore, be used by scientific researchers and industrial engineers for predictive maintenance to monitor the performance state of IGBT power modules, which will reduce the probability of its failure or degradation.

Independent closed loop control of di/dt and dv/dt for high power IGBTs

As the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules have their own specific characteristic switching forms, their turn-on and turn-off times are changed according to practical applications. For the conventional gate drives, gate resistors are used to adjust the turn-on and turn-off times which change switching losses that have a significant amount in total losses. Collector current rate of change, $di_{C}/ dt$ and collector-emitter rate of change, $dv_{CE}/ dt$ are dependent on each other and they affect operating parameters in high power converters. Relations between current and voltages during the switching transitions are given and effects of the changes in electrical parameters for the operation of IGBT are described. Thereafter, closed-loop gate drive with analog control that performs independent control of $di_{C}/ dt$ and $dv_{CE}/ dt$ of a new generation IGBT module platform for high power applications is proposed. Unlike conventional gate drives, proposed closed-loop drive makes constant $di_{C}/ dt$ possible while $dv_{CE}/ dt$ is decreased to increase the efficiency of the power conversion system. This leads to decrease of the switching losses without changing the electromagnetic interference (EMI), IGBT voltage, and current stresses which are related with the rate of change of collector current. Simulations are performed in a double pulse test circuit in which new package next high power density dual (nHPD$^{2}$) family MBM450FS33F Hitachi dual IGBT with 3300V 450A ratings is modelled.

Separation and Validation of Bond-Wire and Solder Layer Failure Modes in IGBT Modules

Thermal stress of the power semiconductor is one of the most important indicators for the reliability assessment of power electronics-based power systems. The mapping of the Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) junction temperature is usually required to analyze the thermal stress and loss dissipation. However, it is difficult to identify inherent mechanisms of the bond-wire and solder layer failure modes in IGBT power modules. In order to solve the problem, an online method to identify inherent mechanisms of the bond-wire and solder layer failure modes in IGBT power modules is proposed. This method can separate the root causes of the bond-wire lift-off and solder layer fatigue by measuring the <small>on</small>-state voltage drop through a sinusoidal loading current based on an H-bridge circuit, together with its corresponding control and measurement. By comparing the on-state voltage drop at the intersection current and the peak current of the converter, the wear-out conditions of the IGBT power modules can be monitored in real-time with the determination of different failure modes. Finally, experimental results are presented in order to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.

Reliability Enhancement of Power IGBTs under Short-Circuit Fault Condition Using Short-Circuit Current Limiting-Based Technique

Like the widely-used semiconductor switch, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are subject to many failures and degradation in power electronic converters. In Short Circuit Fault (SCF), as the most reported failures in IGBTs, drastic, sudden temperature rise, and peak SCF current are widespread failures owing to a relatively long delay of the protection subsystem. This paper proposes a protection strategy to limit the junction temperature rise by limiting the SCF current by adding a small value resistor in the IGBT emitter. Second, it reduces the SCF current to a value much less than the saturated current. With the proposed control approach, sudden temperature rise during SCF is controlled, preventing significant failure in IGBTs. The extension of the permissible SCF time is achieved even for the cases with temporary arcs. A simple control loop activates in the SCF condition and does not create slow transients for the IGBT. The results of this paper are validated through simulation and experiment.

Thermal Cycling in Converter IGBT Modules with Different Cooling Systems in Pitch- and Active Stall-Controlled Tidal Turbines

This paper compares active and passive cooling systems in tidal turbine power electronic converters. The comparison is based on the lifetime of the IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) power modules, calculated from the accumulated fatigue due to thermal cycling. The lifetime analysis accounts for the influence of site conditions, namely turbulence and surface waves. Results indicate that active cooling results in a significant improvement in IGBT lifetime over passive cooling. However, since passive cooling systems are inherently more reliable than active systems, passive systems can present a better solution overall, provided adequate lifetime values are achieved. On another note, the influence of pitch control and active speed stall control on the IGBT lifetime was also investigated. It is shown that the IGBT modules in pitch-controlled turbines are likely to have longer lifetimes than their counterparts in active stall-controlled turbines for the same power rating. Overall, it is demonstrated that passive cooling systems can provide adequate cooling in tidal turbine converters to last longer than the typical lifetime of tidal turbines (&gt;25 years), both for pitch-controlled and active speed stall-controlled turbines.

Electro-Thermal Modeling of Power IGBT Module Cooled by A Heat Pipe Cooling System

This paper deals with the development of an electro-thermal model of an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) with a water-cooled heat pipe cooling system. Firstly, a thermal model of the heat pipe cooling system is proposed. Then, an electro-thermal model of the IGBT is developed to predict the junction temperature variations in transient operation. The thermal model of the IGBT is determined on the base of the thermal-capacitance lumped method. The electrical model of the IGBT is developed by considering the effect of the junction temperature on its static electrical parameters. Finally, the electro-thermal model is considered in a boost converter application. The model predictions show the effectiveness of the heat pipe cooling system for different commutation frequencies. It is proved that the heat pipe cooling system can keep the junction temperature of the IGBT at values allowing safe operation.

An investigation on IGBT junction temperature estimation using online regression method

In order to obtain junction temperature of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) on electric vehicle, a number of studies have proposed junction temperature (Tj) estimation methods. However, some of these methods require additional circuits which lead to cost increase, some methods simulate the IGBT thermal process with thermal model, which induces a deviation between real functional results and simulation, and the other algorithm based methods may involve upgrading the main control unit (MCU) with increased costs. This paper proposes a method of IGBT Tj estimation with regression analysis. The presented method firstly extracts the most sensitive factors from IGBT power loss model, and then the factors are applied in a data fitting function to characterize Tj. After that, the mentioned fitting function is validated by regression analysis with statistics Anderson – Darling (AD) and P-value. Finally the Tj estimation fitting function is demarcated by the negative thermal coefficient (NTC) measured temperature (TNTC). With the method using TNTC demarcation, the error bandwidth between estimated Tj and measured Tj is 3.4 °C in total. Compared with the Tj estimation without TNTC demarcation, the error bandwidth of Tj decreased from 6.9°C to 3.4 °C. The Tj estimation method with TNTC demarcation is efficient for an online Tj estimation of IGBT modules without increased costs.

SIMSCAPE Electrical Modelling of the IGBT with Parameter Optimization Using Genetic Algorithm

The concept introduced by MathWorks in the Simscape product is the link representation between the SIMSCAPE library components that correspond to physical connections transmitting power. In this paper, a power insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) model using MATLAB graphical software is reproduced. An electrical IGBT behavior model using the Simscape Electronics library components is developed and analyzed. This model is parameterized using the constructor datasheet to ensure a good representation of the dynamic and static IGBT behaviors. An extraction and optimization studies of the IGBT model parameters using a stochastic algorithm implemented in Matlab are presented. The proposed method is based on the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to perfectly extract and optimize the model parameters using the mathematical model circuit equations and the provided datasheet characteristics. A simulation in the Matlab/Simulink environment and a comparison with the experimental results for an IGBT device example are carried out to demonstrate the proposed model accuracy.

Short circuit detection and driving control with no blanking time for high voltage high power insulated gate bipolar transistors

Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) short-circuit (SC) protection is one of the most important protection methods for IGBT converter equipment. The fast detection and protection response time could reduce the permanent damage of devices, and extend their use life cycle. At present, the collector emitter voltage vce desaturation method is widely used in the commercial IGBT drive circuit, which has blanking time of fault detection and protection. In this paper, an improved adaptive vce SC detection and protection is proposed to realize the blanking time adjustment under different SC conditions. By the determination of the di/dt characteristics of the current variation on the parasitic inductance between the power emitter and the Kelvin emitter of IGBT modules, the execution time of the two detection methods can be set. According to the switch process and the SC type, the corresponding logic processing will be carried out to realize the fast detection of different SC conditions. The circuit scheme without blanking time detection and protection is designed, and the circuit is modelled and simulated by Pspice. The IGBT driving circuit SC test without blanking time detection and soft turn-off protection has been carried out. Simulation and test results can verify the feasibility of the proposed circuit.

Effect of load sequence interaction on bond-wire lifetime due to power cycling

Experimental investigations on the effects of load sequence on degradations of bond-wire contacts of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors power modules are reported in this paper. Both the junction temperature swing (Delta T_{j}) and the heating duration (t_{ON}) are investigated. First, power cycling tests with single conditions (in Delta T_{j} and t_{ON}), are performed in order to serve as test references. Then, combined power cycling tests with two-level stress conditions have been done sequentially. These tests are carried-out in the two sequences: low stress/high stress (LH) and high stress/low stress (HL) for both Delta T_{j} and t_{ON}. The tests conducted show that a sequencing in Delta T_{j} regardless of the direction “high-low” or “low–high” leads to an acceleration of degradations and so, to shorter lifetimes. This is more pronounced when the difference between the stress levels is large. With regard to the heating duration (t_{ON}), the effect seems insignificant. However, it is necessary to confirm the effect of this last parameter by additional tests.