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Development of a modeling platform for 4.5 kV IGBT power modules
Abstract
This paper deals with the development of a PSpice based evaluation platform for high power IGBT devices. The purpose of this platform is to provide useful information for the design and the assessment of converter cells for potential high power applications. An extended version of Hefner model is presented for high power, high voltage IGBTs taking into account temperature variation. A parametric analysis is presented in order to depict the effect of each parameter in the model. A set of parameters have been extracted and then verified with static and dynamic comparison of experimental data from 4.5 kV and 2.0 kA Si based IGBT power module (StakPak). Finally, an overall energy loss estimation is presented as function of temperature, load current and collector-emitter voltage.
... Such analyses are very time consuming. Therefore, compact models [40][41][42][43][44] of semiconductor devices are commonly used in the analysis of electronic networks. Such models contain equations describing dependences between voltages and currents of these devices. ...
This paper proposes a new compact electrothermal model of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) dedicated for SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis). This model makes it possible to compute the non-isothermal DC characteristics of the considered transistor and the waveforms of terminal voltages and currents of the investigated device and its internal temperature at transients. This model takes into account the nonlinearity of thermal phenomena in this device. The form of the formulated model is described and the problem of estimating its parameter values is discussed. The correctness of the proposed model was verified experimentally both at DC operation and at transients. The obtained results are compared to the results of computations performed with the use of the classical literature model. A very good agreement between the results of measurements and computations performed with the new model is obtained at different cooling conditions and in a wide range of changes of parameters characterising the electrical excitation of the tested device.
... In industrial practice, 10% safety margin is recommended for safe operation area of power semiconductor devices from its maximum junction temperature [17], [27], [28]. With respect to this, maximum allowable junction temperature of 5SNA 3000K452300 StakPak IGBT module is decided as 112.5 • C (T jmax = 125 • C). ...
In multi-MW three-level neutral point clamped back-to-back (3L-NPC) power converters, power semiconductor devices are considered as most vulnerable components due to its thermo-mechanical fatigue stress. Particularly, rotor side converter (RSC) in doubly fed induction machine (DFIM) experiences high thermal stress during its operation around synchronous speed. It degrades the performance of power converter and reduces the lifetime availability of the drive. In practice, stabilization of temperature fluctuation across each power semiconductor device improves the efficiency and reliability of power converter. With respect to this prime aim, this paper proposes a carrier-based active thermal control method to regulate temperature fluctuation across power semiconductor devices in a multi-MW (5 x 5 MW) 3L-NPC power converters serving to a 250 MW asynchronous hydro-generating unit. To test the proposed active thermal control method, different operating conditions of a 250 MW DFIM hydro-generating unit (to be commissioned in Tehri pumped storage plant, India) are examined in MATLAB/PLECS environment. The designed active thermal control method effectively regulates mean junction temperature and temperature fluctuation of power semiconductor devices within a safe operating limit. The practical feasibility and adoptability of proposed active thermal control is examined through a 2.2-kW DFIM laboratory prototype.
... Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is the most widely used full-control voltage-driven power semiconductor device [1]. The IGBT has been used in various types of electrical energy conversion devices, switching power supply, new energy generation, electric vehicles, etc. [2][3][4]. ...
The whole life cycle of an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a kind of asymmetry process, while the whole life cycles of a set of IGBTs can be regarded as a symmetry process. Modelling these symmetry characteristics of the IGBT life cycles enables the improvement of the remaining useful life (RUL) prediction performance. For this purpose, based on the key failure mechanism of IGBT in electric vehicles, a new method for estimating the RUL of an IGBT module is proposed based on the two-stress acceleration synthesis environment of junction temperature and vibration. The maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) was employed to estimate the logarithmic standard deviation and covariance matrix. The Shapiro–Wilk (S–W) test was performed to investigate the satisfaction degree of the RUL of the IGBT module to the lognormal distribution. The accelerated life test datasets of the IGBT module were analyzed using the Weibull++ software. The analysis results demonstrate that the IGBT lifetime is confirmed to lognormal distribution, and the accelerated model accords with the generalized Eyring acceleration model. The proposed method can estimate IGBT RUL in a short time, which provides a certain technical reference for the reliability analysis of the IGBT module.
This paper concerns modelling the influence of temperature on dc characteristics of IGBTs. In the paper, the form of two popular literature models of this device are analysed and their disadvantages are pointed out. The authors' model of the IGBT for the SPICE software is proposed. A description of this model, a manner of its parameters estimation and the results of experimental verification of its correctness are presented in various operating ranges and in a wide range of ambient temperature values. On the basis of the obtained results of calculations and measurements the range of applications of the authors' model and the investigated literature models is discussed.
The paper deals with the evaluation of a suitable model for power IGBTs targeted for use in power electronic modules. The main issue for the developed model is the possibility of creating a circuital based structure starting from the device physical equations. The model is implemented in a circuital simulation environment with the aim of evaluating the performance of high voltage, high current modules. In those a key factor is the possibility of having computation times fitting with the necessity of parasitic elements estimation. The implementation of the model is described together with the validation of it by comparison with experimental results.
Models of power semiconductor devices are implemented in the
circuit simulator PSpice. The combination of subcircuits and
mathematical functions enables very compact solutions. High accuracy and
validity in a wide operation range are obtained due to the derivation
from device physics. Models of the power diode and the IGBT are
presented as examples
The drive circuit requirements of the IGBT are explained with the aid of an analytical model. It is shown that non-quasi-static effects limit the influence of the drive circuit on the time rate-of-change of anode voltage. Model results are compared with measured turn-on and turn-off waveforms for different drive, load, and feedback circuits and for different IGBT base lifetimes.
The paper deals with the development of a PSpice based modeling platform for the evaluation of 4.5 kV and 2.0 kA power IGBT modules to be used in HVDC and FACTS applications. Using PSpice, a set of device parameters (both for IGBTs and diodes) have first been extracted and verified by static and dynamic comparison of experimental data from 4.5 kV and 2.0 kA Si based power modules. Implemented device models along with complete gate driver circuitry unit in PSpice show fair agreement with experimental dynamic results and present realistic prediction of losses under various operating conditions (i.e., voltage and current ratings, stray inductances, gate resistances, temperature, variations in gate currents and gate voltages etc). The modeling platform, thus, supports not only the performance prediction of converter cell design but also possibly avoids the usage of extensive laboratory testing.
The exigency of characterizing high-power IGBTs directly on-site increasingly emerges in field installations hosting multilevel converters that employ such devices by the dozen, when not by hundreds, as it is already the reality for modern modular voltage-source HVDC and FACTS systems. Nonetheless, differently from the actualities in permanent laboratories, the typology of the instrumentation rapidly obtainable on the field is often rather restricted by the aspects of logistic, necessary timing of intervention and ruggedness against the usually harsh environments. Commonly, the only specimens realistically expectable at short notice on a field installation are portable curve tracers, portable field oscilloscopes with non-isolated channels, passive voltage probes, current probes based on Rogowski coils, as well as portable multimeters and variable DC power supplies. The paper describes a measurement technique devised to diagnose and characterize high-power IGBTs by employing solely such a limited set of instruments. The severely erroneous conclusions that possibly descend from the utilization of curve tracers only are highlighted and it is shown how, conversely, the additional presence of properly connected oscilloscopes and probes becomes mandatory in order to attain a proper characterization. The role of the curve tracers should be strictly limited to mere stimuli generators only, for their compensation techniques against the systematic measurement errors occurring with signal and low-power transistors, rarely suffice in case of high-power devices. Additionally, the equivalent differential capacitance between the Collector and Emitter terminals of a high-power IGBT-Diode module is characterized too. It is often insufficiently documented in the datasheets despite its evolution being important for the dynamics of the commutation. Experimental results from an ABB 5SNA 1200G450300 IGBT module (4.5 kV, 1.2 kA) are presented.
Power insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are frequently used in pulsed power applications. While published data is readily available for most IGBTs under steady-state conditions, little information is known for a given IGBT regarding pulsed power conditions. This paper presents a characterization process of power IGBTs for creating IGBT SPICE models. Each IGBT will be subjected to single 5 mus pulses at 4.5 kV and 1 kA. During the pulse, characteristics such as rise time, fall time, maximum collector current, and maximum collector-emitter voltage will be measured. Additionally, the effects of the gate drive with respect to the collector-emitter characteristics will be observed. This process will be demonstrated with the IXYS IXEL40N400 and the Powerex QIS4506001 IGBTs to allow for circuit simulations with these models as circuit elements.
The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is now widely used in many power electronics circuits. An accurate IGBT model is very important and useful to simulate these power electronics circuits to foresee the circuit behaviour and device behaviour before its implementation. Hefner IGBT model is one of the very good IGBT analytical models available for circuit simulation. This model requires IGBT parameters and those can be extracted experimentally. Two experiment set ups are needed and few different tests have to be carried out to extract IGBT parameters required for the Hefner model. In this paper, work carried out to extract eleven different parameters of 3.3 kV/1200 A IGBT is explained for the Hefner model
Simple parameter extraction is the goal of a new basic IGBT model
designed for use by application engineers. The model has good accuracy
yet its parameters can be quickly extracted from three standard
measurements or from data sheets
Rapid development in the field of power electronic devices with
turn off capability like insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) and
gate turn-off thyristors (GTO), makes the voltage sourced converters
(VSC) more and more attractive for high voltage direct current
transmission (HVDC). This new innovative technology provides substantial
technical and economical advantages for different applications compared
to conventional HVDC transmission systems based on thyristor technology.
This paper focuses on VSC application for HVDC systems of high power
ratings (up to 200 MW), which are currently in discussion for several
projects. After a brief description of the main circuit components an
overview on basic design aspects of VSC based HVDC systems is
given
A PSpice model of punch through IGBTs based on a physics equation model is presented in this paper. A simplified way of implementing the complicated equations into the PSpice simulator is developed using a mathematical approximation. Also, a new method to elaborate the PSpice netlist is reported. The resulting PSpice model permits simulation on PCs of a physics-based model, which previously required that it be simulated using particular software tools and a powerful hardware platform. Simulations have been performed in order to prove the effectiveness of this method in translating the physics based model in a PSpice netlist
IGBT PSpice models recently proposed do not give satisfactory
simulation results of the behaviour of punch-through (PT) IGBTs. The
reason can be attributed to the incorrect modelling of the particular
epitaxial structure of the intrinsic PNP of the IGBT. In particular, the
most critical behaviour to simulate accurately is the turn-off since
such a transient is strongly influenced by the lifetime of the minority
carriers and the reapplied voltage on the collector of the bipolar part
of the IGBT. An improved IGBT PSpice model is presented aiming at
overcoming the incompleteness of other models. A detailed procedure
describing the parameter extraction of the model by new methods is also
developed. The proposed model is validated by comparing several
simulation runs with experimental traces on both static and dynamic
conditions for both fast and slow IGBTs at different working conditions
The basic diode charge-control model used in SPICE is extended by
employing the lumped charge concept of J.G. Linvill and J.F. Gibbons
(1961) to derive a set of model equations from simplified device
physics. Both forward and reverse recovery phenomena are included as
well as emitter recombination. The complete model requires only seven
relatively simple equations and three additional device parameters
beyond the genetic SPICE diode model. A major feature of the model is
that the same equations are valid through all regions of operation
It is shown that a nonquasi-static analysis must be used to
describe the transient current and voltage waveforms of the insulated
gate bipolar transistor. The nonquasi-static analysis is necessary
because the transport of electrons and holes are coupled for the
low-gain, high-level injection conditions, and the quasi-neutral base
width changes faster than the base transit speed for typical load
circuit conditions. To verify that both of the nonquasi-static effects
must be included, the predictions of the quasi-static and
nonquasi-static models are compared with measured current- and
voltage-switching waveforms. The comparisons are performed for different
load circuit conditions and for different device base lifetimes
A physics-based dynamic electrothermal model is developed for the
IGBT by coupling a temperature-dependent IGBT electrical model with
dynamic thermal models for the IGBT silicon chip, packages, and
heatsinks. The temperature-dependent IGBT electrical model describes the
instantaneous electrical behavior in terms of the instantaneous
temperature of the IGBT silicon chip surface. The instantaneous power
dissipated in the IGBT is calculated using the electrical model and
determines the instantaneous rate that heat is applied to the surface of
the silicon chip thermal model. The thermal models determine the
evolution of the temperature distribution within the thermal network and
thus determine the instantaneous value of the silicon chip surface
temperature used by the electrical model. The IGBT electrothermal model
is implemented in the Saber circuit simulator and is connected to
external circuits in the same way as the previously presented Saber IGBT
model, except that it has an additional thermal terminal that is
connected to the thermal network component models for the silicon chip,
package, and heatsink. The IGBT dynamic electrothermal model and the
thermal network component models are verified for the range of
temperature and power dissipation levels (heating rates) that are
important for power electronic systems
A physics-based model for the insulated gate bipolar transistor
(IGBT) is implemented into the widely available circuit simulation
package IG-SPICE. Based on analytical equations describing the
semiconductor-physics, the model accurately describes the nonlinear
junction capacitances, moving boundaries, recombination, and carrier
scattering, and effectively predicts the device conductivity modulation.
In this paper, the procedure used to incorporate the model into IG-SPICE
and various methods necessary to ensure convergence are described. The
effectiveness of the SPICE-based IGBT model is demonstrated by
investigating the static and dynamic current sharing of paralleled IGBTs
with different device model parameters. The simulation results are
verified by comparison with experimental results
An experimentally verified IGBT model implemented in the saber circuit simulator
- A R Hefner
- D Diebolt
3300V HiPak modules for high-temperature applications
- S Matthias
- A Kopta
- M Rahimo
- L Feller
- S Geissmann
- R Schnell
- S Klaka