Condition monitoring IGBT module bond wire lift-off using measurable signals

Condition monitoring power semiconductor devices can inform converter maintenance and reduce damage. This paper presents a method to monitor bond-wire failure in IGBT power module by detecting the change of its exterior electrical signals. It is shown that gate-emitter voltage V_GE, saturated collector-emitter voltage V_CE(sat), collector-emitter voltage V_CE and collector current I_C during turn off process, are affected by power module bond wire failure. To explain the reasons of the phenomena, theoretical analysis based on the damaged IGBT module physical structure is proposed and simulation results are obtained. Accordingly the test circuit bench is constructed and experiments are conducted. Theoretical analysis is validated with experimentally obtained results.