Transient Electro-Thermal Modeling on Power Semiconductor Devices

This book presents physics-based electro-thermal models of bipolar power semiconductor devices including their packages, and describes their implementation in MATLAB and Simulink. It is a continuation of our first book Modeling of Bipolar Power Semiconductor Devices. The device electrical models are developed by subdividing the devices into different regions and the operations in each region, along with the interactions at the interfaces, are analyzed using the basic semiconductor physics equations that govern device behavior. The Fourier series solution is used to solve the ambipolar diffusion equation in the lightly doped drift region of the devices. In addition to the external electrical characteristics, internal physical and electrical information, such as junction voltages and carrier distribution in different regions of the device, can be obtained using the models. The instantaneous dissipated power, calculated using the electrical device models, serves as input to the thermal model (RC network with constant and nonconstant thermal resistance and thermal heat capacity, or Fourier thermal model) of the entire module or package, which computes the junction temperature of the device. Once an updated junction temperature is calculated, the temperature-dependent semiconductor material parameters are re-calculated and used with the device electrical model in the next time-step of the simulation. The physics-based electro-thermal models can be used for optimizing device and package design and also for validating extracted parameters of the devices. The thermal model can be used alone for monitoring the junction temperature of a power semiconductor device, and the resulting simulation results used as an indicator of the health and reliability of the semiconductor power device.

Tanya Kirilova Gachovska received a M.Eng. degree in electrical engineering specializing in Automation of Production and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering specializing in Pulsed Electric Fields(PEF) from the University of Ruse, Bulgaria, in 1995 and 2003, respectively. She worked as an assistant professor from 1999-2003 at the University of Ruse. She conducted research for two years and taught for a semester at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She had an 18 months post-doc experience on PEF at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, USA. Tanya finished her second Ph.D. in electrical engineering specializing in Power Electronics specifically Modeling of Power Semiconductor Devices in 2012. During her studies, she has taught different courses and labs and continued a collaboration for PEF research with the University of Ruse, McGill, UNL, and two Algerians universities. She is currently at Solantro Semiconductor Inc. She is the author or co-author of more than 30 technical papers and conference presentations, and holds a world patent in PEF.Professor Hudgins is a native of West Texas. He attended Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, Texas, where he received a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in 1985. Dr. Hudgins served as Associate and Interim Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of South Carolina prior to joining the University of Nebraska as Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department. Currently, he is Director of the Nebraska Wind Applications Center and Associate Director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research. His research involves power electronic device characterization and modeling, power electronics design, and renewable energy systems. In 2000, he was named as an IEEE Third Millenium Medal recipient for "Outstanding Contributions in the area of Power Electronics." Dr. Hudgins is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the IEEE Board of Directors (Division II Director). Dr.Hudgins servedas the President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) for the years of 1997 and 1998 and as President of the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) in 2003. Dr. Hudgins has published over 130 technical papers and book chapters concerning power semiconductors, power electronics, renewable energy systems, and engineering education. He has worked with numerous power semiconductor and equipment manufacturing companies.Professor Hudgins is a native of West Texas. He attended Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, Texas, where he received a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in 1985. Dr. Hudgins served as Associate and Interim Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of South Carolina prior to joining the University of Nebraska as Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department. Currently, he is Director of the Nebraska Wind Applications Center and Associate Director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research. His research involves power electronic device characterization and modeling, power electronics design, and renewable energy systems. In 2000, he was named as an IEEE Third Millenium Medal recipient for "Outstanding Contributions in the area of Power Electronics." Dr. Hudgins is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the IEEE Board of Directors (Division II Director). Dr.Hudgins servedas the President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) for the years of 1997 and 1998 and as President of the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) in 2003. Dr. Hudgins has published over 130 technical papers and book chapters concerning power semiconductors, power electronics, renewable energy systems, and engineering education. He has worked with numerous power semiconductor and equipment manufacturing companies.Enrico Santi received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Padua, Padua, Italy, in 1988, and a Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1994. Since 1998, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of South Carolina, where he is currently an Associate Professor. He has published over 100 papers on power electronics and modeling and simulation in international journals and conference proceedings. His research interests include switched-mode power converters, advanced modeling and simulation of power systems, modeling and simulation of semiconductor power devices, and control of power electronic systems. Dr. Santi was the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2004 and the IEEE Industry Applications Society William M. Portnoy Paper Award in 2003, 2005, and 2006.