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This paper presents a high-power IGBT testing platform for uneven temperature conditions and its design criteria. Considering the influence of layout parasitic parameters on the measurement results, commutation rules and independent junction temperature control, a universal high-power switching characterization platform is built and operated. Importantly, it is capable of 3.6 kA current level test requirement, which can cover the largest current level for the state-of-the-art IGBT modules. To improve the test accuracy of double pulse test method, a compensation algorithm is proposed to eliminate the circuit power loss under high current test conditions. Moreover, in order to simulate the uneven junction temperature effects occurring in real life, the junction temperatures of inspected IGBT and freewheeling diode are controlled independently. Quantitative analyses of the switching characteristics for junction temperatures up to 125 °C are performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an online monitoring and correction method of threshold voltage in SiC MOSFET power cycling test. The results of online monitoring of threshold voltage are coupled with both the effect of the degradation of SiC MOSFET chip and the effect of junction temperature variation caused by the degradation of the package. The proposed correction method can eliminate the influence of the junction temperature variation. And the effect of the chip degradation on the threshold voltage can be well reflected in the corrected results. The experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed method. • This paper focuses on the chip degradation in SiC MOSFET power cycling test. • The influence of package degradation on the online monitoring results of threshold voltage is taken into account. • The linear relationship of V th and T j can be utilized to eliminate the effect of T j variation on V th monitoring results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance screening and reliability evaluation of electric vehicle (EV) motor drives require fast and precise thermal evaluation of power devices in both steady-state and transient-state analysis. In this paper, a hybrid-domain calculation method is proposed to fulfil the requirement. Firstly, the matrix form model is selected by characterizing the thermal response of an EV module. To quantitatively investigate the speed of different calculation methods, a generalized calculation burden evaluation is conducted based on counting the number of algebraic operations. Both the steady-state and transient-state scenarios for EV motor drives are considered. Accordingly, a hybrid calculation method for transient analysis is proposed by combining the advantages of time-domain and frequency-domain methods. Its advantage is validated by evaluating the elapsed time for a real case. Since numerous evaluation points are required for the performance screening of converters at the early design stage, the proposed method accelerates the thermal evaluation process without reducing the accuracy. • The matrix form thermal model is selected to model the thermal coupling in EV power modules. • Generalized calculation burden are evaluated for both steady-state and transient thermal analysis. • The speed and accuracy of the hybrid-domain method are validated by evaluating the elapsed time and hardware experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a survey of existing gate driving approaches for improving reliability of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs). An extensive and various lists of techniques are introduced and discussed, including fast detection, identification and protection against IGBT failures, also considering cost-effective solutions. Gate-driver circuit solutions to improve short-circuit robustness, overload, voltage and current overshoots withstanding capability are first introduced to cope with abnormal conditions severely affecting lifetime expectation. Later, some advanced, state-of-the-art control techniques are discussed to minimize the real-mission-profile stresses in terms of voltage and current stresses to the device, together with, not least, temperature variations. Future challenges and perspectives are finally discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]