An ultrafast IR thermography system for transient temperature detection on electronic devices

This paper presents a new Infrared thermography system for thermal characterization of semiconductor electronic devices in transient and steady-state applications. The developed set-up is based on an IR camera having a 100Hz frame-rate at full-frame and a focal plane array of 640×512 InSb sensors. In order to extend the dynamic capabilities of the system a synchronization network generates timing signals to drive the experiment and trigger the IR-camera in an equivalent-time acquisition mode, up to 1MHz equivalent bandwidth. Moreover the proposed synchronized solution is able to detect thermal maps in a non-repetitive, single event, experiment. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed IR system, thermal measurements are presented on commercial Power-MOSFET, during short-circuit (SC) tests, and Power Schottky diode in unclamped inductive switching (UIS) test.

[1]  Lucio Rossi,et al.  Analysis of large area Trench-IGBT current distribution under UIS test with the aid of lock-in thermography , 2010, Microelectron. Reliab..

[2]  S. Grauby,et al.  Temperature variation mapping of a microelectromechanical system by thermoreflectance imaging , 2005, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[3]  A Irace,et al.  An equivalent time temperature mapping system with a 320 x 256 pixels full-frame 100 kHz sampling rate. , 2007, The Review of scientific instruments.

[4]  Andrea Irace,et al.  Reliability enhancement with the aid of transient infrared thermal analysis of smart Power MOSFETs during short circuit operation , 2005, Microelectron. Reliab..

[5]  Andrea Irace,et al.  Electro-thermal characterization of AlGaN/GaN HEMT on Silicon Microstrip Technology , 2011, Microelectron. Reliab..

[6]  Otwin Breitenstein,et al.  Lock-in thermography : basics and use for functional diagnostics of electronic components , 2003 .

[7]  Alberto Castellazzi,et al.  Thermal characterisation of power devices during transient operation , 2006, Microelectron. J..

[8]  A. Irace,et al.  Fast transient infrared thermal analysis of smart Power MOSFETS in permanent short circuit operation , 2006, 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and IC's.

[9]  Andrea Irace,et al.  Detection of localized UIS failure on IGBTs with the aid of lock-in thermography , 2008, Microelectron. Reliab..

[10]  A. Shakouri,et al.  Nanosecond transient thermoreflectance imaging of snapback in semiconductor controlled rectifiers , 2011, 2011 International Reliability Physics Symposium.

[11]  P. Raad,et al.  Noncontact transient temperature mapping of active electronic devices using the thermoreflectance method , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies.

[12]  V. d'Alessandro,et al.  Analytical model for thermal instability of low voltage power MOS and SOA in pulse operation , 2002, Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and Ics.

[13]  Andrea Irace,et al.  Experimental characterization of temperature distribution on Power MOS devices during Unclamped Inductive Switching , 2004, Microelectron. Reliab..