Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for determining if a deterioration occurs in an interface of a semiconductor die of an electric power module, the electric power module further comprising a substrate and at least one electromechanical transductor, the semiconductor die and the at least one electromechanical transductor being placed on or embedded within the substrate, wherein the system comprises: —means for transferring at least one electric signal to the at least one electromechanical transductor, —means for measuring the impedance of the at least one electromechanical transductor, —means for comparing the impedance of the at least one electromechanical transductor to a predetermined value, —means for deciding that the deterioration occurs in the interface of the semiconductor die according to the comparison result.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for controlling the temperature of a multi-die power module, comprising: determining and memorizing a first weighted arithmetic mean of junction temperatures of the dies of the multi-die power module, determining successively another weighted arithmetic mean of junction temperatures of the dies, checking if the difference between the other weighted arithmetic mean and the memorized weighted arithmetic mean is lower than a first predetermined value, enabling a modification of the duty cycle of an input signal to apply to at least one selected die of the multi-die power module if the difference is lower than a first predetermined value, disabling a modification of the duty cycle of the input signal to apply to the at least one die of the multi-die power module if the difference is not lower than the first predetermined value.

Abstract: A common mode filter device (2) comprises two LC-filters (21, 22) which are serially connected, two transformers (23, 25) and an active current control circuit (24). The transformers are dedicated to sensing a common mode current and injecting compensation currents driven by the current control circuit. The transformers provide electric isolation between the current control circuit and power-transferring connections of the common mode filter device. Continuing operation of an electrical apparatus which is power-supplied through the common mode filter device is also ensured in case of failure of the current control circuit, with the LC-filters still producing partial common mode filter function.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for estimating a level of damage or a lifetime expectation of a power semiconductor module comprising at least one die that is mechanically and electrically attached to a ceramic substrate. The ceramic substrate has piezoelectric properties and the method comprises the steps of: controlling the at least one power die, the control of the at least one power die generating changes in the electrical potential across the ceramic substrate, obtaining information representative of a mechanical deformation of the ceramic substrate, determining if a notification indicating the level of damage or the lifetime expectation has to be performed according to the obtained information and reference information, notifying the level of damage or the lifetime expectation if the determining step determines that the notification has to be performed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a printed circuit board embedding a power die wherein interconnections between the power die and the printed circuit board are composed of micro/nano wires, the printed circuit board comprising a cavity wherein the power die is placed, and wherein the cavity is further filled with a dielectric fluid.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and a device for estimating a level of damage or a lifetime expectation of a power semiconductor module comprising at least one die that is mechanically, thermally, and electrically attached to a substrate, composed of plural layers of different materials. The invention: obtains power losses of the power semiconductor module, obtains the temperature in at least two different locations of the power semiconductor module, estimates a thermal model between the at least two different locations of the power semiconductor module using the determined power losses and the obtained temperatures, determines if a notification indicating the level of damage or the lifetime expectation has to be performed according to the estimated thermal model and a reference thermal model. notifies the level and location of damage or the lifetime expectation if the determining step determines that the notification has to be performed.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving plural consecutive input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module, wherein the dies are grouped into plural groups of at least one die and in that the controller comprises: —means for outputting one gate to source signal for each group of at least one die, the rising edges and/or falling edges of at least one gate to source signal being iteratively time shifted from the rising edge and/or a falling edge of the other gate to source signals for other groups of dies.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for controlling the operation of a multi-die power module composed of at least two dies connected in parallel. The method comprises the steps of: —obtaining the current flowing in the multi-die power module, —obtaining a loss profile that is related to the dies of the multi-die power module, —estimating from the measured current flowing in the multi-die power module, the losses of one die when no die is passivated, when the die is passivated, and when at least one other die is passivated, —determining if and which die has to be passivated from the estimated losses and from the loss profile—passivating the die which has to be passivated if a die has to be passivated.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving plural consecutive input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module. The dies are grouped into plural clusters of dies and the controller comprises means for outputting one gate to source signals for each cluster of dies, each outputted gate to source signal being different from the other gate to source signals and at least one first outputted gate to source signal reducing the activation of dies during at least one input pattern among the plural input patterns.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a power module comprising at least one power die, the at least one power die is embedded in a multilayer structure, the multilayer structure is an assembly of at least two sub-modules, each sub-module being formed of isolation and conductor layers and the power module further comprises at least one capacitor embedded in the multilayer structure for decoupling an electric power supply to the at least one power die embedded in the multilayer structure and at least one driving circuit of the at least one power die that is disposed on a surface of the multilayer structure or embedded completely or partially in the multilayer structure.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for controlling the operation of a multi-die power module composed of at least two dies connected in parallel. The method comprises the steps of: —obtaining the current flowing in the multi-die power module, —obtaining a loss profile that is related to the dies of the multi-die power module, —estimating from the measured current flowing in the multi-die power module, the losses of one die when no die is passivated, when the die is passivated, and when at least one other die is passivated, —determining if and which die has to be passivated from the estimated losses and from the loss profile—passivating the die which has to be passivated if a die has to be passivated.

Abstract: A method for determining the junction temperature of at least one die of a semiconductor power module, the semiconductor power module being composed of plural dies connected in parallel and switching between conducting and non conductor states according to pattern cycles, the method comprises the steps of: disabling the conducting of the at least one die during at least a fraction of one switching cycle, applying a current limited voltage to the gate of the at least one die during a period of time of the cycle wherein the at least one die is not conducting, the resulting voltage excursion having a value that does not enable the die to be conducting, measuring the voltage at the gate of the die, deriving from the measured voltage a temperature variation of the junction of the at least one die or the temperature of the junction of the die.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for estimating a level of damage of an electric device. The method comprises the steps of: —forming a histogram of operating cycles related to the electric device for which the level of damage estimation is performed, —comparing the formed histogram to histograms of a collection of histograms or to combinations of histograms of the collection of histograms, each histogram of the collection of histogram being associated to a level of damage, in order to determine the histogram of the collection of histograms or the combination of histograms which is the closest from the formed histogram, —determining an estimate of the level of damage of the electric device from the level of damage of the closest histogram or from the levels of damages of the histograms of the closest combination of histograms.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving plural consecutive input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module. The dies are grouped into plural clusters of dies and the controller comprises means for outputting one gate to source signals for each cluster of dies, each outputted gate to source signal being different from the other gate to source signals and at least one first outputted gate to source signal reducing the activation of dies during at least one input pattern among the plural input patterns.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module. The controller comprises means for generating from the input patterns gate to source signals to apply to the dies and for each die, the gate to source voltage is shifted according to a given voltage value.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for determining if a deterioration occurs in an interface of a semiconductor die of an electric power module, the electric power module further comprising a substrate and at least one electromechanical transductor, the semiconductor die and the at least one electromechanical transductor being placed on or embedded within the substrate, wherein the system comprises: —means for transferring at least one electric signal to the at least one electromechanical transductor, —means for measuring the impedance of the at least one electromechanical transductor, —means for comparing the impedance of the at least one electromechanical transductor to a predetermined value, —means for deciding that the deterioration occurs in the interface of the semi-conductor die according to the comparison result.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving plural consecutive input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module, wherein the dies are grouped into plural groups of at least one die and in that the controller comprises: —means for outputting one gate to source signal for each group of at least one die, the rising edges and/or falling edges of at least one gate to source signal being iteratively time shifted from the rising edge and/or a falling edge of the other gate to source signals for other groups of dies.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system comprising a multi-die power module composed of dies and a controller receiving input patterns for activating the dies of the multi-die power module. The controller comprises means for generating from the input patterns gate to source signals to apply to the dies and for each die, the gate to source voltage is shifted according to a given voltage value.

Abstract: A common mode filter device (2) comprises two LC-filters (21, 22) which are serially connected, two transformers (23, 25) and an active current control circuit (24). The transformers are dedicated to sensing a common mode current and injecting compensation currents driven by the current control circuit. The transformers provide electric isolation between the current control circuit and power-transferring connections of the common mode filter device. Continuing operation of an electrical apparatus which is power-supplied through the common mode filter device is also ensured in case of failure of the current control circuit, with the LC-filters still producing partial common mode filter function.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for controlling the operation of a power module composed of switches, each switch being composed of a plurality of power dies connected in parallel, characterized in that the device comprises, for each power die of the power module: a temperature sensor to sense the temperature of the power die, a current sensor to sense the current going through the power die, a gate interrupt circuit to interrupt the signal provided to the power die if the sensed current is higher than a predetermined current threshold, a controller to reduce the conducting time of the die if the sensed temperature of the power die is higher than the average die temperature across the power dies of at least one switch.