Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for determining the junction temperature of a power semiconductor using a temperature sensitive electrical parameter of a thermal sensitive electrical device in a system comprising the thermal sensitive electrical device, an external electrical circuit, a compensation module and a measurement module. The compensation module is composed at least of a first and a second switches. The invention: —puts the first switch in a closing state and puts the second switch in an opening state during a first period of time in order to measure a first set of voltages, —changes the state of the first switch and/or the state of the second switch or the state of at least one another switch during at least one another period of time in order to measure at least one another voltage, —determines a value of the temperature sensitive parameter using the measured voltages.

Abstract: A method for measuring degradation of a thermal resistance between a power semiconductor and a heat sink of a power module assembly where the power semiconductor has an internal gate resistance, including measuring a first initial parameter related to the power semiconductor junction temperature, and heating the internal gate resistance and measuring a second initial parameter, related to the junction temperature after the heating, after discrete time intervals during the lifetime of the power module assembly measuring a first subsequent parameter related to the power semiconductor junction temperature heating the internal gate resistance and measuring a second subsequent parameter, related to the junction temperature after the heating, and calculating a thermal resistance degradation, ?RTh with the subsequent parameters related to junction temperature and the initial parameters and raising a fault flag in case ?RTh is above a limit value.

Abstract: Provided is a method to control a power semiconductor module comprising monitoring at least one operating parameter, and only if the operating parameter is kept into a range and the operating parameter's range has an initial status, initiate a calibration stage. The calibration stage is including measuring a first temperature sensitive electrical parameter, decreasing the dead-time, monitoring said operating parameter, measuring a second temperature sensitive electrical parameter, only if the operating parameter has been kept into said range and the value of the second temperature sensitive electrical parameter corresponds to a lower value of the temperature, assigning the value of the dead-time, else only if the operating parameter has been kept into the range and the value of the second temperature sensitive electrical parameter corresponds to a higher value of the temperature, updating the status, storing the dead-time with the operating parameter's range.

Abstract: The invention: determines if the duration of the conducting state of the semiconductors in a first cycle of the pulse width modulation is upper than a predetermined duration, measures, during the conducting state of the semiconductors at a second cycle, the voltage provided to the load, sequentially disables the conduction of each semiconductor during a part of the duration of the conducting state of the semiconductors in a third cycle and measures the voltage provided to the load, determines the differences between the voltage measured during the second cycle and each voltage measured during the third cycle, orders the differences according to their value, checks if the determined order is identical to an order stored in a memory of the device and determines that one connection of one semiconductor is deteriorated if the order is changed.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device and a method for sensing an over-temperature of a power semiconductor. The invention: provides a current pulse source through control electrodes of the power semiconductor, duplicates the current provided by the current pulse source and provides the duplicated current to an emulating device, compares the voltage across the control electrodes to the voltage across the emulating device, notifies the result of the comparison.

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 controlling the temperature of a multi-die power module, a multi-die temperature control device. The multi-die temperature control: obtains a signal that is representative of the temperature of one die among the dies of the multi-die power module when the die is not conducting, obtains signals that are representative of a reference temperature that is dependent of the temperature of all the dies of the multi-die power module when the dies are not conducting, compares the signal that is representative of the temperature of one die to the signal that is representative of the reference temperature, reduces the duration of the conducting time of the die or reducing the duration of the conducting time of the other dies of the multi-die power module according to the comparison result.

Abstract: The invention: determines if the duration of the conducting state of the semiconductors in a first cycle of the pulse width modulation is upper than a predetermined duration, measures, during the conducting state of the semiconductors at a second cycle, the voltage provided to the load, sequentially disables the conduction of each semiconductor during a part of the duration of the conducting state of the semiconductors in a third cycle and measures the voltage provided to the load, determines the differences between the voltage measured during the second cycle and each voltage measured during the third cycle, orders the differences according to their value, checks if the determined order is identical to an order stored in a memory of the device and determines that one connection of one semiconductor is deteriorated if the order is changed.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for allowing the restoration of an interconnection of a die of a power module, a first terminal of the interconnection being fixed on the die and a second terminal of the interconnection being connected to an electric circuit. The system comprises:—at least one material located in the vicinity of the first terminal of the interconnection, the material having a predetermined melting temperature,—means for controlling the temperature of the die at the predetermined melting temperature during a predetermined period of time. The present invention concerns also the method.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for allowing the restoration of a first interconnection of a die of a power module connecting the die to an electric circuit. The system comprises: at least one other interconnection of the power module, a periodic current source that is connected to the at least one other interconnection for generating a periodic current flow through the at least one other interconnection in order to reach, in at least a part of the first interconnection, a predetermined temperature during a predetermined time duration. The present invention concerns also the associated method.

Abstract: A multi-die health monitoring device: sets, at a given current provided to the load by the group of dies, one of the dies in a non-conducting state (NCS), obtains, when the die is in the NCS, a signal that is representative of the temperature of the die and determines the temperature of the die, obtains, when the die is in the NCS, a signal that is representative of an on-state voltage (OSV) of the die and determines the OSV of the die, retrieves in a table stored in a memory of the multi-die health monitoring device, an OSV that corresponds to the given current and the determined temperature of the die, notifies that the multi-die power module has to be replaced, if the difference between the determined OSV of the die and the retrieved OSV is equal or upper than a predetermined value.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for allowing the restoration of an interconnection of a die of a power module, a first terminal of the interconnection being fixed on the die and a second terminal of the interconnection being connected to an electric circuit. The system comprises:—at least one material located in the vicinity of the first terminal of the interconnection, the material having a predetermined melting temperature,—means for controlling the temperature of the die at the predetermined melting temperature during a predetermined period of time. The present invention concerns also the method.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system for allowing the restoration of a first interconnection of a die of a power module connecting the die to an electric circuit. The system comprises: at least one other interconnection of the power module, a periodic current source that is connected to the at least one other interconnection for generating a periodic current flow through the at least one other interconnection in order to reach, in at least a part of the first interconnection, a predetermined temperature during a predetermined time duration. The present invention concerns also the associated method.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for controlling the temperature of a multi-die power module, a multi-die temperature control device. The multi-die temperature control: obtains a signal that is representative of the temperature of one die among the dies of the multi-die power module when the die is not conducting, obtains signals that are representative of a reference temperature that is dependent of the temperature of all the dies of the multi-die power module when the dies are not conducting, compares the signal that is representative of the temperature of one die to the signal that is representative of the reference temperature, reduces the duration of the conducting time of the die or reducing the duration of the conducting time of the other dies of the multi-die power module according to the comparison result.

Abstract: A multi-die health monitoring device: sets, at a given current provided to the load by the group of dies, one of the dies in a non-conducting state (NCS), obtains, when the die is in the NCS, a signal that is representative of the temperature of the die and determines the temperature of the die, obtains, when the die is in the NCS, a signal that is representative of an on-state voltage (OSV) of the die and determines the OSV of the die, retrieves in a table stored in a memory of the multi-die health monitoring device, an OSV that corresponds to the given current and the determined temperature of the die, notifies that the multi-die power module has to be replaced, if the difference between the determined OSV of the die and the retrieved OSV is equal or upper than a predetermined value.

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.