Separation and Validation of Bond-Wire and Solder Layer Failure Modes in IGBT Modules
Wenzhao Liu, Dao Zhou, Francesco Iannuzzo, Michael Hartmann, Frede Blaabjerg
Abstract
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.