Lifetime estimation with thermal models of semiconductors

Lifetime of power electronics is seriously limited by the thermal ambience and therefore a detailed thermal design on power electronics is desirable. For evaluating the lifetime of power electronics, information is required on the thermal cycling of the power electronics components. Especially the semiconductors are vulnerable to a high temperature and thermal cycling. In this paper the combined modeling and simulation of electrical and thermal behavior of semiconductors is discussed. The models for the semiconductors, being the MOSFET, IGBT and DIODE are briefly introduced and their most important parameters are highlighted. The thermal models for semiconductors are discussed and how they are connected to the semiconductors. A series of measurements are shown for the MOSFET, IGBT and DIODE and these results are compared with simulations.