Evaluation of SiC Schottky Diodes Using Pressure Contacts

The thermomechanical reliability of SiC power devices and modules is increasingly becoming of interest especially for high-power applications, where power cycling performance is critical. Press-pack assemblies are a trusted and reliable packaging solution that has traditionally been used for high-power thyristor-based applications in FACTS/HVDC, although press-pack IGBTs have become commercially available more recently. These press-pack IGBTs require antiparallel PiN diodes for enabling reverse conduction capability. In these high-power applications, paralleling chips for high current conduction capability is a requirement, hence, electrothermal stability during current sharing is critical. SiC Schottky diodes not only exhibit the advantages of wide bandgap technology compared to silicon PiN diodes, but they have significantly lower zero temperature coefficient (ZTC), meaning they are more electrothermally stable. The lower ZTC is due to the unipolar nature of SiC Schottky diodes as opposed to the bipolar nature of PiN diodes. This paper investigates the implementation and reliability of SiC Schottky diodes in press-pack assemblies. The impact of pressure loss on the electrothermal stability of parallel devices is investigated.

[1]  V. Székely,et al.  A new evaluation method of thermal transient measurement results , 1997 .

[2]  Abb Switzerland.  4.5kV Press Pack IGBT Designed for Ruggedness and Reliability , 2004 .

[3]  Mauro Ciappa,et al.  Selected failure mechanisms of modern power modules , 2002, Microelectron. Reliab..

[4]  P. Rodriguez,et al.  Power density investigations for the large wind turbines' grid-side press-pack IGBT 3L-NPC-VSCs , 2012, 2012 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE).

[5]  Li Ran,et al.  Development and characterisation of pressed packaging solutions for high-temperature high-reliability SiC power modules , 2016, Microelectron. Reliab..

[6]  Li Yang,et al.  Quantification of cracked area in thermal path of high-power multi-chip modules using transient thermal impedance measurement , 2016, Microelectron. Reliab..

[7]  V. Székely,et al.  Fine structure of heat flow path in semiconductor devices: a measurement and identification method , 1988 .

[8]  M. Rencz,et al.  Structure function evaluation of stacked dies , 2004, Twentieth Annual IEEE Semiconductor Thermal Measurement and Management Symposium (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37545).

[9]  Josef Lutz,et al.  Semiconductor Power Devices , 2011 .

[10]  Philippe Godignon,et al.  Thermomechanical Assessment of Die-Attach Materials for Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices and Harsh Environment Applications , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

[11]  Dong Hyun Kim.  Reliability study of SnPb and SnAg solder joints in PBGA packages , 2007 .

[12]  Ke Ma.  Promising Topologies and Power Devices for Wind Power Converter , 2015 .

[13]  L. Dupont,et al.  Temperature Measurement of Power Semiconductor Devices by Thermo-Sensitive Electrical Parameters—A Review , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

[14]  F. Wakeman,et al.  Electromechanical characteristics of a bondless pressure contact IGBT , 1999, APEC '99. Fourteenth Annual Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition. 1999 Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.99CH36285).

[15]  Josef Lutz,et al.  Possible failure modes in Press-Pack IGBTs , 2015, Microelectron. Reliab..

[16]  Johan Liu,et al.  Comparison of isothermal mechanical fatigue properties of lead free solder joints and bulk solders , 2005, Fifth International Conference onElectronic Packaging Technology Proceedings, 2003. ICEPT2003..

[17]  D. Schneider,et al.  On the operation of a press pack IGBT module under short circuit conditions , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging.

[18]  S. D'Arco,et al.  Mechanical analysis of press-pack IGBTs , 2012, Microelectron. Reliab..

[19]  Leon M. Tolbert,et al.  Power Cycle Testing of Power Switches: A Literature Survey , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

[20]  B. Jayant Baliga,et al.  Fundamentals of Power Semiconductor Devices , 2008 .

[21]  Josef Lutz,et al.  Power cycling capability of Modules with SiC-Diodes , 2014 .

[22]  Frede Blaabjerg,et al.  Electro-Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of High-Power Press-Pack Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors under Various Mechanical Clamping Conditions , 2014 .

[23]  Subhashish Bhattacharya,et al.  Comparative evaluation of 15 kV SiC MOSFET and 15 kV SiC IGBT for medium voltage converter under same dv/dt conditions , 2015, 2015 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE).

[24]  J. Wilde,et al.  Applying Anand Model to Represent the Viscoplastic Deformation Behavior of Solder Alloys , 2001 .

[25]  M. Yovanovich,et al.  Four decades of research on thermal contact, gap, and joint resistance in microelectronics , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies.