Power electronic elements are often built employing arrays of devices designed to evenly share high currents over a large number of single devices. In some situations, mismatch in current sharing can occur causing temperature differences between elements of the array. These differences can trigger electrothermal instability phenomena and even device destruction. In this paper, we consider the electrothermal dynamic behavior of arrays composed of identical one‐port elements. We first introduce a simplified model of the thermal paths and of the elements composing the array that allows the analysis of the behavior of the electrothermal system. Then, we investigate from a mathematical standpoint dynamic effects governing current sharing and possible situations causing hot spots with consequent device destruction. These results are compared with simulations of detailed non‐linear models confirming predictions given by the simplified model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.