Boundary element analysis of thermal fatigue effects on high power IGBT modules

The technology of high power IGBT modules has been significantly improved these last years against thermal fatigue. The most frequently observed failure modes, due to thermal fatigue, are the solder cracks between the copper base plate and the direct copper bonding (DCB) substrate and bond wire lift-off. Specific simulation tools are needed to carry out reliability researches and to develop device lifetime models. In other respects, accurate temperature and flux distributions are essential when computing thermo-mechanical stresses in order to assess the lifetime of high power modules in real operating conditions. This study presents an analysis method based on the boundary element method (BEM) to investigate thermal behavior of high power semiconductor packages subjected to power cycling loads. The paper describes the boundary integral equation which has been solved using the BEM and applied to the case of a high power IGBT module package (3.3 kV–1.2 kA). A validation of the numerical tool is presented by comparison with experimental measurements. Finally, the paper points out the effect on the thermal stress of the IGBT chips position on the DCB substrate. In particular, a light shifting of the silicon chips may be sufficient to delay significantly the initiation and the propagation of the cracks, allowing a higher device lifetime of the studied module.     

Failure modes on low voltage power MOSFETs under high temperature application

HEV (hybrid electrical vehicle) is one of the harshest applications for standard technology of power devices and converters. High temperature capability and passive/active thermal cycle ageing must be evaluated. The authors present first results on ageing and failure modes for a 75 V/350 A MOSFET module from a low voltage/cycled DC current test bench. The module is without base plate and bond wires are used for electrical connections. For this kind of low voltage and high current module, paper shows that the principal modes of failure relate to the environment close to the chip (connections and passivations).     

Reliability and lifetime evaluation of different wire bonding technologies for high power IGBT modules

IGBT modules for power transmission, industrial and traction applications are operated under severe working conditions and in harsh environments. Therefore, a consequent design, focused on quality, performance and reliability is essential in order to satisfy the high customer requirements. One of the main failure mechanisms encountered in high power IGBT modules subjected to thermal cycles is wire bond lift-off, which is due to the large thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the aluminum wires and the silicon chips. The paper describes various bonding technologies using different wire materials directly bonded onto chip metallisation as well as the ABB solution where the wire is bonded on a thin molybdenum strain buffer soldered onto the chip. We assess in the present paper the potential of these technologies to enhance module reliability and lifetime through a power cycling test. Failure analysis results are presented and the failure mechanisms related to each technology are explained in detail.     

Reliability enhancement by integrated liquid cooling in power IGBT modules for hybrid and electric vehicles

Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) modules in power train system of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (HEV/EV) are working in harsh environment and high reliability and long lifetime are required. In this work, reliability enhancement by integrated liquid cooling structure in HEV/EV IGBT module is investigated. The thermal resistance of junction to heat sink can be reduced more than 50% by direct liquid cooling as eliminating thermal grease layer, so both active and passive temperature swings decrease significantly which will enhance module reliability and lifetime. The lifetime of modules with conventional and integrated liquid cooling structures are estimated under mission of standard driving cycles. We found that lifetime is prolonged obviously by direct cooling pin–fin base plate, and the compact module also makes the application power system simple and reliable.     

Substrate-to-base solder joint reliability in high power IGBT modules

Acoustic microscope imaging proved to be an excellent tool to detect and quantify solder fatigue of the substrate to base interface of high power IGBT modules. This technique was used to establish the dependence of the thermal cycling capability on the temperature swing of the module base for a A1N/Cu system. Results from temperature cycling tests were combined with results from power cycling tests to predict the solder joint reliability over a wide range of temperature excursions.     

Evaluation of the impact of the physical dimensions and material of the semiconductor chip on the reliability of Sn3.5Ag solder interconnect in power electronic module: A finite element analysis perspective

This paper primarily focuses on an evaluation study for the temperature cycling capability of tin silver solder interconnect in power electronic applications by the impact of die dimensions and die material properties. The study was investigated on finite element analysis perspective on chip/solder/substrate structure. A commercially available chip was chosen in the finite element analysis (FEA) as the nominal base die. Two thermal cycle profiles were utilised. The effect of die area, die thickness and material properties (Si and SiC) on the thermal cycling capability of the solder layer was investigated from FEA perspective. From the FEA, it was concluded that decrease in die thickness resulting in increment of thermal cycling capability of solder layer for both material (Si and SiC). Increase in die area increases the thermal cycling capability of solder. For higher ΔT thermal cycle, solder under SiC die perform better than solder under Si die in terms of thermal cycling capability. When the die thickness become smaller than a threshold value of the thermal cycle regime, solder under Si die have better thermal cycling capability than solder under SiC die. Additionally a parametric study was undertaken for a SiC chip/substrate structure under high ∆ T temperature cycling profile for solder layer geometric parameter (wetting angle, titling angle and thickness). From the parametric study which utilised design of experiments (DoE), a wavelet radial basis surrogate model was generated. A sensitivity analysis was performed on surrogate model in order to identify the most influencing parameter. From the sensitivity analysis, it was concluded that wetting angle and solder layer thickness of solder layer have significant impact on the thermal cycling capability of the solder layer.     

Degradation behavior of 600 V–200 A IGBT modules under power cycling and high temperature environment conditions

One challenge for automotive hybrid traction application is the use of high power IGBT modules that can withstand high ambient temperatures, from 90 °C to 120 °C, for reliability purpose. The paper presents ageing tests of 600 V–200 A IGBT modules subjected to power cycling with 60 °C junction temperature swings at 90 °C ambient temperature. Failure modes are described and obtained results on the module characteristics are detailed. Especially, physical degradations are described not only at the package level, like solder attach delaminations, but also at the chip level, with a shift on electrical characteristics such as threshold voltage. Finally, numerical investigations are performed in order to assess the thermal and thermo-mechanical constraints on silicon dies during power cycling and also to estimate the effect of ambient temperature on the mechanical stresses.     

Effects of process conditions on reliability, microstructure evolution and failure modes of SnAgCu solder joints

In this study, microstructure evolution at intermetallic interfaces in SnAgCu solder joints of an area array component was investigated at various stages of a thermal cycling test. Failure modes of solder joints were analyzed to determine the effects of process conditions on crack propagation. Lead-free printed-circuit-board (PCB) assemblies were carried out using different foot print designs on PCBs, solder paste deposition volume and reflow profiles. Lead-free SnAgCu plastic-ball-grid-array (PBGA) components were assembled onto PCBs using SnAgCu solder paste. The assembled boards were subjected to the thermal cycling test (−40 °C/+125 °C), and crack initiation and crack propagation during the test were studied. Microstructure analysis and measurements of interface intermetallic growth were conducted using samples after 0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 thermal cycles. Failures were not found before 5700 thermal cycles and the characteristic lives of all solder joints produced using different process and design parameters were more than 7200 thermal cycles, indicating robust solder joints produced with a wide process window. In addition, the intermetallic interfaces were found to have Sn–Ni–Cu. The solder joints consisted of two Ag–Sn compounds exhibiting unique structures of Sn-rich and Ag-rich compounds. A crystalline star-shaped structure of Sn–Ni–Cu–P was also observed in a solder joint. The intermetallic thicknesses were less than 3 μm. The intermetallics growth was about 10% after 3000 thermal cycles. However, these compounds did not affect the reliability of the solder joints. Furthermore, findings in this study were compared with those in previous studies, and the comparison proved the validity of this study.     

Failure criteria for long term Accelerated Power Cycling Test linked to electrical turn off SOA on IGBT module. A 4000 hours test on 1200A–3300V module with AlSiC base plate

With AlSiC base plate technology for big module, the reliability about thermal cycling due to railway traction is largely improved and the accelerated Power Cycling Test time is increased a lot to reach over 6 months. Then it appears that these failure indicators as; Rth increasing, Vce increasing, or Iges increasing, must be linked to the interface behavior (thermal and mechanical) and the full electrical capabilities of the device to switch on and switch off current and voltage in a converter.This paper discuss about test methodology and protocol of accelerated Power Cycling Test (PCT), including turn off Safe Operating Area (SOA) measurement before and after reliability tests in order to evaluate the influence of the parameters drift Vce, Rth, and gate leakage Iges.Mainly, PCT and SOA results are presented on 1200A-3300V IGBT module with AlSiC base plate materials after a 4000 hours test (376000 cycles) on very hard conditions. It is also shown the SOA capability on one IGBT module with gate leakage failure.     

Temperature measurements and thermal modeling of high power IGBT multichip modules for reliability investigations in traction applications

To study the failure mechanisms induced on high power IGBT multichip modules by thermal cycling stress in traction environment, a good knowledge of the temperature distribution and variations on the chips and in the interfaces between the different layers of the packaging is necessary. This paper presents a methodology for contact temperature measurements on chips surface in power cycling conditions and a fast 3D thermal simulation tool for multilayered hybrid or monolithic circuits. The results of static and dynamic thermal simulation of a 1200A–3300V IGBT module are given and compared with the contact temperature measurements results. The investigation has been done within the RAPSDRA (Reliability of Advanced High Power Semiconductor Device for Traction Applications) European project.     

Static and dynamic finite element modelling of thermal fatigue effects in insulated gate bipolar transistor modules

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the use of finite element techniques for modelling thermal fatigue effects in solder layers of insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) – modules used in traction applications. The three-dimensional models presented predict how progressive solder fatigue, affects the static and dynamic thermal performance of such devices.Specifically, in this paper, the analysis of an 800 A–1800 V IGBT module is performed. In the first part, the static analysis is realised. The parameters assessed are thermal resistance, maximum junction temperature and heat flux distribution through the different layers comprising the module construction. In the second part of the paper, transient analyses are performed in order to study the dynamic thermal behaviour of the module. The constructed thermal impedance curves allow for calculation of the device temperature variations with time. Stress parameters, such as temperature excursion and maximal temperature at chip and solder interfaces, are determined. Calibration of all simulation models is achieved by comparison with alternative theoretical calculations and manufacturers’ measured values provided in the data sheet book.     

Board level solder joint reliability analysis of stacked die mixed flip-chip and wirebond BGA

Stacked die BGA has recently gained popularity in telecommunication applications. However, its board level solder joint reliability during the thermal cycling test is not as well-studied as common single die BGA. In this paper, solder joint fatigue of lead-free stacked die BGA with mixed flip-chip (FC) and wirebond (WB) interconnect is analyzed in detail. 3D fatigue model is established for stacked die BGA with considerations of detailed pad design, realistic shape of solder ball, and non-linear material properties. The fatigue model applied is based on a modified Darveaux’s approach with non-linear viscoplastic analysis of solder joints. Based on the FC–WB stack die configuration, the critical solder ball is observed located between the top and bottom dice corner, and failure interface is along the top solder/pad interface. The modeling predicted fatigue life is first correlated to the thermal cycling test results using modified correlation constants, curve-fitted from in-house lead-free TFBGA46 (thin-profile fine-pitch BGA) thermal cycling test data. Subsequently, design analyzes are performed to study the effects of 20 key design variations in package dimensions, material properties, and thermal cycling test conditions. In general, thinner PCB and mold compound, thicker substrate, larger top or bottom dice sizes, thicker top die, higher solder ball standoff, larger solder mask opening, smaller PCB pad size, smaller thermal cycling temperature range, longer ramp time, and shorter dwell time contribute to longer fatigue life. SnAgCu is a common lead-free solder, and it has much better board level reliability performance than eutectic solder based on modeling results, especially low stress packages.     

Lead-free 0201 manufacturing, assembly and reliability test results

The trend towards smaller, faster and cheaper electronic devices has led to an increase in the use of 0201 (L  0.02 in.; W  0.01 in.) and even smaller sized passive components. The size advantages of the 0201 component make it a popular choice among design engineers but not among manufacturing engineers. From a manufacturing perspective, the size of the 0201 package poses significant challenges to the printed circuit board (PCB) assembly process. The many challenges with 0201 assembly can be attributed to the solder paste volume, pad design, aperture design, board finish, type of solder paste, pick-and-place and reflow profile. If these factors are not optimized, they will introduce undesirable manufacturing defects. The small size of 0201 packages and undetected manufacturing defects will also raise concerns about their second level interconnect reliability, especially for lead-free solder alloys and surface finishes, with new processes and higher reflow requirements. To determine the optimum conditions, a design-of-experiment (DOE) study was carried out to investigate the effects of these parameters on assembly defects and solder joint reliability.This paper presents the test results and comparative literature data on the influence of a few key manufacturing parameters and defects associated with the 0201 component using lead-free and tin–lead solder alloys. Data pertaining to component shear strength before and after isothermal aging at 150 °C and intermetallic growth up to 500 h of aging are presented. A number of test vehicles were also subjected to thermal cycling (1500 cycles) in the range of −55/100 °C to determine the solder fatigue behavior. Shear test results for test vehicles subjected to thermal cycling is also presented. In addition, optical microscopy analysis of solder joint behavior during thermal cycling showing the progress of the solder damage and cross-sectional photos taken at 1500 cycles is included.     

Life prediction of HCPV under thermal cycling test condition

High-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) module is subject to larger thermal stress due to its more severe temperature fluctuation in real operating conditions. In the thermal cycling test, excessive thermal stress might occur at the peripheral solder layer. For the large area bonding structure, thermal-induced stress is the main cause for cracks. Crack growth is expected to start from the edges of the solder layer and progress to the center. The shrinkage of the bonding area increases the junction temperature of solar cells and reduces the energy-conversion efficiency of the HCPV module. In this study, the stress/strain behavior of the HCPV module under thermal cycling test is analyzed using finite element analysis software, ANSYS®. Results indicate that the von Mises creep strain distribution at the solder layer’s edge is independent of the package’s dimensions. The lifetime of HCPV with uniform solder layer could be predicted by assuming that the crack propagation rate is constant during solder layer degradation. Furthermore, lifetime of tilted HCPV module could be predicted by compensating the variation of thickness of solder layer during crack propagation.     

Pb-free high temperature solders for power device packaging

Reliabilities of joints for power semiconductor devices using a Bi-based high temperature solder has been studied. The Bi-based solder whose melting point is 270 °C were prepared by mixing of the CuAlMn particles and molten Bi to overcome the brittleness of Bi. Then, joined samples using the solder were fabricated and thermal cycling tests were examined. After almost 2000 test cycles of −40/200 °C test, neither intermetallic compounds nor cracks were observed for CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) matched sample with Cu interface. On the other hand, certain amount of intermetallic compound such as Bi₃Ni was found for a sample with Ni interface. In addition, higher reliability of this solder than Sn-Cu solder was obtained after −40/250 °C test. Furthermore, an example power module structure using double high temperature solder layers was proposed.     

新型不带铜底板IGBT功率模块的散热设计

随着16BT芯片功率密度的提高,在中小功率IGBT功率模块中,不带铜底板的IGBT模块已经成为模块封装发展的一个趋势。但是每一种新型结构的功率模块封装都有它的优缺点,新型的不带铜底板的功率模块,它的优点是体积小,重量轻,成本低;缺点是它的散热性能受导热硅脂性能和厚度的影响非常大。本文通过大量仿真及实验数据．详细描述了导热硅脂对不带铜底板模块散热性能的影响,并结合实验数据,介绍了Vincotech公司推出的预涂高性能导热硅脂服务对模块散热的改善效果。     

Parameter driven monitoring for a flip-chip LED module under power cycling condition

In this paper, a parameter driven monitoring model is introduced, in which a flip-chip LED module was investigated during a power cycling test. This approach was investigated to develop a monitoring model to describe thermally induced solder fatigue as root cause of flip-chip failure in a power cycling test. As monitoring parameter the thermal resistance of the LED module was used, which was determined by thermal impedance measurements of the whole LED module, as well as for each LED chip itself. Further analyses of the occurring temperature at the LED junction recorded of each chip during the power cycling test were used to generate a prediction model. The evaluation of the temperature change allowed to forecast the number of cycles until failure.     

Cycling copper flip chip interconnects

Use of flip chip assembly on compound semiconductor circuits is relatively new. Although solder bumping has been around for a while, use of copper bumps is also new. This discussion is intended to provide some initial data on the melding of copper flip chip bumps and compound semiconductor technologies, with respect to thermal excursion testing––cycling. For comparison, it is known that attempts to accelerate degradation caused by thermal excursions on solder bumps can result in irregular failure mechanisms. This work shows that on-chip power cycling can be used to cause identical failure mechanisms to those caused by normal temperature cycling.     

Lifetime modeling and simulation of power modules for hybrid electrical/electrical vehicles

In hybrid electrical vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) power semiconductors, packaged in a module, are used. Packaging technologies are suffering several wear out mechanisms, that are typically induced by thermal or power cycling. The type of wear out mechanism is affected by the connection technology but also by the load type. In the design of the inverter the mission profile simulation of the power module is an important step to ensure operation of the power module over the complete vehicle lifetime. Influences of application parameters are presented. Physics of failure based FEM simulation can help to develop appropriate lifetime models which are basis for the mission profile simulation. Available power module technology achieves the lifetime requirement for hybrid electric vehicles/electric vehicles, if the described method is applied in the design phase of the inverter.     

Revisiting power cycling test for better life-time prediction in traction

This paper discusses the commonly accepted method for life-time prediction for power converters in traction. The method is based on junction temperature estimation and thermal cycles on a given duty cycle. The predicted numbers of thermal cycles are compared to the curves giving the number of cycles to failure versus temperature cycles. These curves are extrapolated from power cycling tests. Power cycling tests and extrapolation method will be discussed, particularly under the aspect of failure mechanisms that are induced. In order to generate the same failure mechanisms in power cycling than in the real applications, a new power cycling approach is presented.