The effect of quasi-DC power cycling on insulated gate bipolar transistor dual-in-line package intelligent power module

Abstract:
This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of wide temperature swing on the reliability of small capacity Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) Dual In-line Package Intelligent Power Modules (DIPIPMs) often utilized in Electric Vehicle (EV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) air-conditioner inverter drive application. The power modules were cycled using quasi-DC power cycling, also known as Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controlled DC power cycling. Test samples were power cycled until the end-of-life was reached. Collector-emitter on-stage voltage drop (Vce,sat), junction temperature (Tj) and case themerature (Tcase) has been observed to study the degradation process. Furthermore, a visual inspection of the module was conducted using microscope camera, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and x-ray.