Automate power- and thermal-cycle test with Mentor Graphics’ MicReD 1500A
The test system is a combination of a known, monitored and controlled thermal environment, plus the capability to electrically exercise a power device – MOSFET, IGBT, or module – while precisely measuring and logging forward voltage. The unit can simulate high-stress lifetime operating conditions and monitor any degradation in device performance. Precision logging of Vf combined with a detailed knowledge of the device’s mechanical structure allows interpreation of the failure mechanisms that may be developing within a device.
The MicReD Industrial Power Tester 1500A tests the reliability of power electronic components that are increasingly used in industries such as automotive and transportation including hybrid and electrical vehicles and trains, power generation and converters, and renewable energy applications such as wind turbines. Mentor claims it as the only commercially available thermal testing product that combines both power cycling and thermal transient measurements with structure function analysis while providing data for real-time failure-cause diagnostics.
The tester might be used by semiconductor device manufacturers to evaluate device and package performance; or by module makers; or by end-equipment builders to verify the performance of components within a product design, over extended life. It examines thermally induced degradations within the module stack-up. Both power cycling and thermal transient measurements are conducted on the MicReD Power Tester 1500A, without needing to remove the components from the test environment. A technician or engineer is able to see the failure as it progresses and determine the exact time/cycle and cause.
The 1500A can power modules through tens of thousands—potentially millions—of cycles while providing “real-time” failure-in-progress data for diagnostics. This significantly reduces test and lab diagnosis time and eliminates the need for post-mortem or destructive failure analysis. Common thermally-induced mechanical failures that the Power Tester 1500A analyses in “real time” include die-attach wire bond separations, die and package stack-up delamination and cracks, and solder fatigue. All of this information can be inferred from the profile (figure) of Vf vs. temperature under transient conditions.
“The ability to pinpoint and quantify degradation in the thermal stack for all semiconductor devices during development will greatly assist in the development of cost-optimised packaging solutions currently hampered by package-reliability concerns,” said Mark Johnson, professor of advanced power conversion, faculty of engineering, University of Nottingham, UK. “Mentor’s Power Tester 1500A should be an invaluable tool for investigating thermal path degradation in all types of power modules.”
Mentor also owns the Flotherm computational-fluid-dynamics thermal and mechanical simulation product line. Roland Feldhinkel, general manager of Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division, comments, “We’re leveraging our expertise in thermal characterisation and testing to deliver a product for industrial applications, where we see great potential – from electric vehicles and railway systems to renewable energy products.”
The MicReD Industrial Power Tester 1500A can perform power cycling tests of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and power diodes. The MicReD Power Tester 1500A provides a user-friendly touch-screen interface and can record a broad range of information during test, such as current, voltage and die temperature sensing; and detailed structure function analysis to record changes in the package’s thermal structure. It is a complete platform that requires only electric power, cold (or chilled) water supply and drain connections. Mentor cites capabilities such as;
– Continuous power cycling until failure which saves time because the component doesn’t need to be removed, taken for lab testing then back to tester for more cycles.
– Enables multiple samples to be tested concurrently.
– Different powering strategies (constant power on/off time, constant case temperature swing, and constant junction temperature rise) can be applied during operation.
– Provides “real-time” structure function diagnostics to show failure in progress, number of cycles, and failure cause.
– Eliminates the need for lab post-mortem (x-ray, ultrasonic, visual) or destructive failure analysis.
– Features touch-screen setup and controls enabling use by both specialists and production personnel.
Mentor Graphics; www.mentor.com/powertester-1500a
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