Research on performance parameter degradation of high voltage and high power IGBT module in power cycling test

Abstract

In Power cycling test, for low-voltage and low-power modules, it is generally considered that the saturation voltage drop VCE(sat) reaches 105% of the initial value or the thermal resistance Rth reaches 120% of the initial value as the basis for judging the failure of the IGBT module. However, since the high-voltage and high-power IGBT modules are connected in parallel with multiple chips, there are differences in the aging speed of the chips, and the degradation of individual chips has little influence on the parameters of the entire module, so the failure judgment standard may not be applicable. In order to obtain the degradation of the characteristic parameters of the high-voltage and high-power IGBT module in the power cycle test, this paper selects the 6500V/600A IGBT module as the research object, adopts the experimental method of constant junction temperature fluctuation, and tests the module parameters after every cycle 20,000 times until the module fails. Three failure modes were found through the test: GE failure, CE failure, GE and CE failure. And the degradation law of the parameters of the high-voltage and high-power IGBT module during the power cycling test was obtained.

Optimizing Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors’ Lifetime Estimation: A Critical Evaluation of Lifetime Model Adjustments Based on Power Cycling Tests

“…Insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) boast benefits such as minimal drive power, high-speed switching capability, and reduced on-state voltage loss. Its rapid advancement in the power electronics sector has positioned it as a primary component in contemporary power electronics technology [1]. However, IGBTs may experience significant switching losses in high-frequency, high-power scenarios, causing substantial fluctuations in the junction temperature.…”