An Online Converter-Level Wear-Out Failure Mode Separation Method for Power Semiconductor Devices

Wire-bonded power semiconductor devices have two main package related wear-out modes: bond-wires lift-off and solder joint degradation. It is of importance to separate them in an operating power converter, so that the degradation point can be localized and the wear-out procedures can be monitored separately. Consequently, it enables the optimization design of package and the development of more accurate lifetime model for power semiconductor devices. This article focuses on separating the main wear-out modes when power devices are in operation. It takes two points in the output I–V characteristic of power devices through a converter-level on-state voltage measurement circuit to realize the separation of wear-out modes for all power devices in a power converter. Compared with conventional methods, it is an on-line solution and applicable to different types of power device from the view of converter-level, resulting in much simplified implementation. Finally, the proposed method is demonstrated through a single-phase inverter case study to verify its feasibility and effectiveness.