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 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: 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.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a package of power dies composed of a first part and a second part, the first part including a plaque having cavities on which dies are placed, the plaque is placed on a first, a second, and a third metallic plates placed on an electric insulation substrate placed on a fourth metallic plate, the second part including a fifth and a sixth metallic plates placed on another electric insulation substrate placed on a seventh metallic plate, the dies are divided into a first group of dies and a second group of dies and wherein the first and second plate are a positive and negative DC voltage connections, the third plate is a gate connection of the second group of dies, the fourth plate is an AC voltage connection and the fifth plate is a gate connection of the first group of dies.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a package of power dies composed of a first part and a second part, the first part including a plaque having cavities on which dies are placed, the plaque is placed on a first, a second, and a third metallic plates placed on an electric insulation substrate placed on a fourth metallic plate, the second part including a fifth and a sixth metallic plates placed on another electric insulation substrate placed on a seventh metallic plate, the dies are divided into a first group of dies and a second group of dies and wherein the first and second plate are a positive and negative DC voltage connections, the third plate is a gate connection of the second group of dies, the fourth plate is an AC voltage connection and the fifth plate is a gate connection of the first group of dies.

Abstract: A balancing bridge module includes a magnetic core, an intra-module pair of windings around the core, each to couple to a separate voltage source, and at least one inter-module winding around the core to couple to an adjacent balancing module. Each of the intra-module and inter-module windings has an equal number of turns and operates to balance voltages between the separate voltage sources and an adjacent module if coupled.