Junction temperature measurements via thermo-sensitive electrical parameters and their application to condition monitoring and active thermal control of power converters

The temperature of a power semiconductor device is important for both its optimal operation and reliability. If the temperature is known during the operation of a converter, it can be used to monitor the health of power modules: a measurement of aging, scheduling of maintenance, or even implementation of active thermal control to reduce losses and increase lifetime can be performed given an accurate knowledge of temperature. Temperature measurements via thermo-sensitive electrical parameters (TSEP) are one way to carry out immediate temperature readings on fully packaged devices. However, successful implementation of these techniques during the actual operation of a device has not yet been achieved. This paper provides an overview of literature where the usage of TSEPs has been hypothesised or realised in realistic power electronic converter setups. Barriers and limitations preventing wider scale implementation of these methods are discussed. Their potential use in the aforementioned goals in condition monitoring and active thermal control is also described.