Este trabalho tem por objetivo principal avaliar a influência da temperatura de junção nas perdas de potência de um módulo IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), monitorando a temperatura através de medida direta, empregando sensores a fibra ótica. O monitoramento direto da temperatura é realizado por meio de sensores óticos baseados em rede de Bragg instalados no interior do módulo, posicionados sobre a pastilha semicondutora que forma o IGBT. Para que as análises experimentais possam ser realizadas sob condições de temperatura controlada, foi desenvolvido um sistema de controle de temperatura digital com base em um módulo termoelétrico de efeito Peltier, que permite regular a temperatura com um erro percentual de 0,1%, numa faixa de valores que podem variar de -16 °C a 150 °C. O acionamento do módulo IGBT é realizado através de um circuito de teste capaz de variar os parâmetros elétricos do dispositivo, como largura do pulso, tensão e corrente de carga. As formas de onda que descrevem o comportamento do IGBT são obtidas por meio de um osciloscópio digital, o que proporciona a verificação do desempenho do dispositivo durante os processos de comutação e condução de corrente elétrica. O acionamento do IGBT sob temperaturas controladas permite verificar as faixas de temperatura que apresentam influência significativa nas perdas do dispositivo. O emprego do sensor ótico proporciona identificar o aquecimento gerado na junção do dispositivo em função das perdas. A medição da temperatura de forma direta também contribui para o desenvolvimento de uma técnica simples e de boa precisão para obtenção dos parâmetros térmicos da estrutura do IGBT. Os parâmetros obtidos serviram de base para elaboração de um modelo térmico preciso, que permite simular fielmente o comportamento térmico do dispositivo, onde o erro percentual máximo é de aproximadamente 0,3%. A utilização do modelo facilita a análise de pequenas variações de temperatura, inferiores à 0,01 °C, onde a medição através do sensor torna-se complicada. A associação dos resultados da análise de influência da temperatura no desempenho do IGBT, com o monitoramento e simulação do aquecimento gerado durante a operação do dispositivo pode contribuir, de fato, para o desenvolvimento semicondutores de potência mais eficientes. / This study aims to evaluate the temperature influence on power losses of an IGBT module (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), monitoring the temperature through direct measurement, using optical sensors. The direct monitoring of temperature is accomplished by means of optical sensors based on fiber Bragg grating installed inside the module, positioned on the semiconductor wafer, which forms the IGBT structure. For the experimental analysis to be performed under controlled temperature conditions, a digital temperature control system based on a Peltier effect thermoelectric module was developed, which can regulate the temperature in a range between -16 °C to 150 °C, with an percentage error of 0.1%. The drive of the IGBT module is done by a test circuit that can vary the device electrical parameters, such as pulse width, voltage and load current. A digital oscilloscope, providing verification of device performance during the switching and conduction of electrical current, obtains the waveforms that describe the IGBT behavior. The drive of the IGBT under controlled temperature allows checking the temperature ranges that have significant influence on the device power losses. The use of optical sensor provided to identify the heat generated on the device junction due to the power losses. The direct measurement of junction temperature also contributed to the development of a simple technique with great precision to obtain the thermal parameters of the IGBT structure. The parameters obtained were the basis for developing a precise thermal model that faithfully simulates the device thermal behavior, where the maximum percentage error is 0.3%, approximately. The model facilitates the analysis of small variations in temperature, lower than 0.01 °C, where measurement by the sensor becomes more complicated. The association of the temperature influence analysis on the IGBT performance with monitoring and simulation of generated heat on the structure during device operation, can contribute to the research on design of novel power semiconductor devices.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo principal avaliar a influência da temperatura de junção nas perdas de potência de um módulo IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), monitorando a temperatura através de medida direta, empregando sensores a fibra ótica. O monitoramento direto da temperatura é realizado por meio de sensores óticos baseados em rede de Bragg instalados no interior do módulo, posicionados sobre a pastilha semicondutora que forma o IGBT. Para que as análises experimentais possam ser realizadas sob condições de temperatura controlada, foi desenvolvido um sistema de controle de temperatura digital com base em um módulo termoelétrico de efeito Peltier, que permite regular a temperatura com um erro percentual de 0,1%, numa faixa de valores que podem variar de -16 °C a 150 °C. O acionamento do módulo IGBT é realizado através de um circuito de teste capaz de variar os parâmetros elétricos do dispositivo, como largura do pulso, tensão e corrente de carga. As formas de onda que descrevem o comportamento do IGBT são obtidas por meio de um osciloscópio digital, o que proporciona a verificação do desempenho do dispositivo durante os processos de comutação e condução de corrente elétrica. O acionamento do IGBT sob temperaturas controladas permite verificar as faixas de temperatura que apresentam influência significativa nas perdas do dispositivo. O emprego do sensor ótico proporciona identificar o aquecimento gerado na junção do dispositivo em função das perdas. A medição da temperatura de forma direta também contribui para o desenvolvimento de uma técnica simples e de boa precisão para obtenção dos parâmetros térmicos da estrutura do IGBT. Os parâmetros obtidos serviram de base para elaboração de um modelo térmico preciso, que permite simular fielmente o comportamento térmico do dispositivo, onde o erro percentual máximo é de aproximadamente 0,3%. A utilização do modelo facilita a análise de pequenas variações de temperatura, inferiores à 0,01 °C, onde a medição através do sensor torna-se complicada. A associação dos resultados da análise de influência da temperatura no desempenho do IGBT, com o monitoramento e simulação do aquecimento gerado durante a operação do dispositivo pode contribuir, de fato, para o desenvolvimento semicondutores de potência mais eficientes. / This study aims to evaluate the temperature influence on power losses of an IGBT module (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), monitoring the temperature through direct measurement, using optical sensors. The direct monitoring of temperature is accomplished by means of optical sensors based on fiber Bragg grating installed inside the module, positioned on the semiconductor wafer, which forms the IGBT structure. For the experimental analysis to be performed under controlled temperature conditions, a digital temperature control system based on a Peltier effect thermoelectric module was developed, which can regulate the temperature in a range between -16 °C to 150 °C, with an percentage error of 0.1%. The drive of the IGBT module is done by a test circuit that can vary the device electrical parameters, such as pulse width, voltage and load current. A digital oscilloscope, providing verification of device performance during the switching and conduction of electrical current, obtains the waveforms that describe the IGBT behavior. The drive of the IGBT under controlled temperature allows checking the temperature ranges that have significant influence on the device power losses. The use of optical sensor provided to identify the heat generated on the device junction due to the power losses. The direct measurement of junction temperature also contributed to the development of a simple technique with great precision to obtain the thermal parameters of the IGBT structure. The parameters obtained were the basis for developing a precise thermal model that faithfully simulates the device thermal behavior, where the maximum percentage error is 0.3%, approximately. The model facilitates the analysis of small variations in temperature, lower than 0.01 °C, where measurement by the sensor becomes more complicated. The association of the temperature influence analysis on the IGBT performance with monitoring and simulation of generated heat on the structure during device operation, can contribute to the research on design of novel power semiconductor devices.

Cette thèse porte sur l'étude de la durée de vie de composants et modules de puissance dans des environnements thermiques sévères, lorsque les modules de puissance sont amenés à travailler à haute température ou sous des cycles de température de forte amplitude. Les domaines visés par cette étude concernent plus particulièrement des applications extrêmement contraignantes telles que les applications aéronautiques. Un module de puissance est un assemblage de plusieurs matériaux (semi-conducteurs, brasures, céramiques, conducteurs) présentant des propriétés mécaniques, notamment de coefficient de dilatation thermiques (CTE) différentes. Les pertes dans les puces actives et les variations de température ambiante (profils de mission) sont responsables de contraintes mécaniques liées aux différences de CTE entre les différents matériaux. Les modes de défaillance étant principalement d'origine mécanique, ces travaux ont été effectués entre le SATIE et le LMT (Institut Farman). L'étude mécanique a complété des travaux expérimentaux de caractérisation et de vieillissement accéléré de modules de puissance à semi-conducteur. Ces études ont nécessité la mise en place d'essais de vieillissement spécifiques, passifs (utilisation d'une étuve permettant de contraindre les assemblages de puissance sous des cycles thermiques de grande amplitude) et actifs (utilisation de régimes extrêmes de fonctionnement tels que le court-circuit pour accélérer le vieillissement de certaines parties de l'assemblage).La première partie de ce manuscrit présente les principes physiques mis en jeu. Nous présenterons succinctement les concepts de mécanique de la rupture ainsi que les couplages physiques.La deuxième partie porte sur la rupture de la céramique des substrats DCB. Cette rupture peut provenir de défauts répartis aléatoirement dans le matériau. Nous aborderons le problème par une approche statistique où nous introduirons la "Théorie du maillon faible". L'autre cause de rupture est la présence de défauts géométriques que l'on appelle singularité où il existe une concentration des contraintes nécessitant une approche déterministe. A cette occasion nous introduirons le facteur d'intensité des contraintes qui permet d'étudier les problèmes de rupture liés à des zones singulières.La dernière partie portera sur la dégradation de la métallisation du transistor. La recherche d'indicateurs de vieillissement a demandé la mise au point de différents bancs de caractérisation électrique pour la mesure fine de différentes grandeurs électriques (courants de fuite, tensions de seuil, chute de tension à l'état passant...) dans un environnement thermique contrôlé. De plus ces caractérisations électriques sont corrélées à des observations de la métallisation effectuées par un microscope électronique à balayage de manière régulière. Nous chercherons à montrer comment la modification de la morphologie de la métallisation peut modifier les caractéristiques électriques des transistors de puissance testés. / This PhD focuses on the study of the lifetime of components and power semiconductor modules under thermal constraints, when power devices are used at high temperature or under high temperature cycles. The areas covered by this study relate more particularly to extremely harsh applications such as aerospace constraints. A power device is an assembly of different materials (semiconductors, solders, ceramics, conductors) with mechanical properties, including coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Losses in the die and ambient temperature variations (mission pro les) are responsible for strain constraints at material interfaces due to CTE mismatch between the different materials. Failure modes result for mechanical constraints so study was done in collaboration between LMT and SATIE laboratories (Farman Institute). The mechanical study completed experimental characterizations and accelerated aging of power semiconductor modules. These studies involved the development of specific aging tests allowing thermal cycles (thermal air streamer to force the power assemblies under thermal cycles of high amplitude) and active power cycles (use of hard working conditions such as short circuit for accelerating the aging of parts of the assembly).The first part of this manuscript presents the physical principles set in. We briefly introduce the concepts of fracture mechanics and the physical couplings.The second part focuses on the fractured DCB ceramic substrates. This failure can arise from defects randomly distributed in the material. We consider the problem using a statistical approach where we introduce the "weak link theory". The other cause of failure is the presence of geometrical defects called singularity where there is stress concentration requiring a deterministic approach. On this occasion we introduce the stress intensity factor which allows to study the failure problems associated with singular zone.The last part will focus on the aging of the transistor metallization. The search for indicators of aging has requested the development of several electrical characterization test benches for the precise measurement of different electrical parameters (leakage currents, threshold voltages, voltage drop in the on state ...) in a controlled thermal environment. Moreover, these electrical characterizations are correlated with observations at different aging states of the metallization degradation using a scanning electron microscope. We seek to show how the change in the morphology of the metallization can change the electrical characteristics of tested power transistors.

The design of series-loaded resonant converters using the state of the art SiC power transistorsis investigated in the thesis. SiC devices are chosen as they offer lower switching losses comparedto conventional Si based devices A very detailed study about the working and differentmodes of operation of the resonant converter is carried out. The thesis further explains how thehigh speed switching capabilities of the SiC devices remain untapped owing to the presence ofstray inductances in the switch-snubber layout. A comparison of all the commercially availableSiC devices are carried out to find the most suitable switch for the resonant converter. Thethesis also carries out a very detailed step by step design of the circuit and the PCB layout forthe resonant converter. Two different layouts are proposed and then compared for their strayinductance and power losses. Finally, based on the experiments the thesis validates the suitabilityof using discrete SiC power transistors in place of power modules. / Utformningen av serie-belastade resonansomvandlare med hjälp av toppmoderna SiC högeffekttransistorernaundersöks i denna avhandlingen. SiC-enheter väljs eftersom de erbjuderlägre switch-förluster jämfört med konventionella Si-baserade enheter.En mycket detaljeradstudie om funktionen och de olika operationella tillstånden hos resonansomvandlare utförs.Avhandlingen förklarar vidare hur förmågan till högfrekvent switchning hos SiC-enheterförblir ofullständigt utnyttjad på grund av förekomsten av ströinduktanser i switch-snubberlayouten.En jämförelse av alla kommersiellt tillgängliga SiC-enheter genomförs för att hittaden mest lämpliga switchen för resonansomvandlaren. Avhandlingen utförs också en mycketdetaljerad steg-för-steg-utformning av resonansomvandlaren kretsschema och kretskortlayout.Två olika layouter föreslås och jämförs därefter utifrån deras ströinduktanser ocheffektförluster. Slutligen, baserat på experimentella resultat bekräftar avhandlingen.Lämpligheten att använda diskreta SiC-effekttransistorer istället för effektmoduler medintegrerade drivarsteg för styrelektroderna.

Face aux enjeux énergétiques d’aujourd’hui et de demain, le développement des énergies renouvelables semble inéluctable. Cependant, la production électrique de sources renouvelables prometteuses comme le photovoltaïque ou l’éolien est intermittente et difficilement prévisible du fait de la dépendance de ces sources aux conditions météorologiques. Afin de s’affranchir du caractère discontinu de la production d’électricité et de l’inadéquation de la production avec la consommation, un moyen de stockage de l’énergie électrique est nécessaire. Dans ce contexte, la batterie hydrogène est une des solutions envisagées. Lors de périodes de surproduction d’énergie renouvelable, un électrolyseur produit de l’hydrogène par électrolyse de l’eau. Lorsque cela est nécessaire, une pile à combustible fournit de l’électricité à partir du gaz stocké. Couplé avec des sources d’énergie renouvelable, la batterie hydrogène produit de l’énergie électrique non carbonée, c’est-à-dire non émettrice de gaz à effet de serre. L’intérêt majeur de cette technologie est le découplage entre l’énergie et la puissance du système. Tant que la pile à combustible est alimentée en gaz, elle fournit de l’électricité, l’énergie dépend des réservoirs de gaz. La puissance, quant à elle, dépend des caractéristiques des composants électrochimiques et du dimensionnement des chaînes de conversions de puissance. Les chaînes de conversion de puissance relient les composants électrochimiques au réseau électrique. Dans le cas de la chaîne de conversion sans transformateur qui est ici envisagée, la présence d’un convertisseur DC-DC à haut rendement à fort ratio de conversion est rendue nécessaire de par la caractéristique basse tension fort courant des composants électrochimiques. Avec pour but principal l’optimisation du rendement, deux axes de recherche sont développés. Le premier axe développe un convertisseur multicellulaire innovant à haut rendement à fort ratio de conversion. Les résultats expérimentaux du convertisseur appelé « miroir » obtenus dans deux expérimentations ont démontré la supériorité de cette topologie en terme d’efficacité énergétique par rapport aux convertisseurs conventionnels. Le deuxième axe porte sur de nouveaux composants de puissance en nitrure de gallium (GaN) annoncés comme une rupture technologique. Un convertisseur buck multi-phases illustre les défis technologiques et scientifiques de cette technologie et montre le fort potentiel de ces composants. / Development of renewable energy seems inevitable to face the energy challenge of today and tomorrow. However, the power generation of promising renewable sources such as solar or wind power is intermittent and unpredictable due to the dependence of the these sources to the weather. In order to overcome the discontinuous nature of the electricity production and the mismatch between production and consumption, electrical energy storage is needed. In this context, hydrogen battery is one of the solutions. During periods of overproduction of renewable energy, an electrolyzer produces hydrogen gas by the electrolysis of water. When necessary, a fuel cell provides electricity from the stored gas. Coupled with renewable energy sources, the hydrogen battery produces carbon-free electricity, i.e. without any greenhouse gas emission. The major advantage of this technology is the decoupling between energy and power system. As long as the fuel cell is supplied with gas, it supplies electricity. Like so, the energy depends on the gas tanks and the system power depends on the characteristics of electrochemical components and the design of the power conversion chain. Power converters connect electrochemical components to the grid. In the case of the transformerless conversion system introduce here, a high efficiency high voltage gain DC-DC converter is required given the high-current low-voltage characteristic of electrochemical components. Since the main goal is to optimize the efficiency, two research approaches are developed. The first develops an innovating multicell converter with high efficiency at high voltage conversion ratio. The experimental results of the “mirror” converter obtained in two experiments have demonstrated the superiority of this topology in terms of energy efficiency compared to conventional converters. The second line of research focuses on new gallium nitride (GaN) transistors heralded as a disruptive technology. A multiphase buck converter illustrates the technological and scientific challenges of this technology and shows the potential of these transistors.