Realization and characterization of instrumented power diode with aluminum RTD sensor – application to thermal impedance evaluation

Semiconductor devices incorporated into power electronics systems are proven to be highly sensitive to their thermal environment. Thus, temperature measurement is a key concern when it comes to reliability of power modules. Some Thermo-Sensitive Electrical Parameters (TSEPs) are used to evaluate online temperature of semiconductor components, in operating conditions of power converters. However, the accuracy and the reliability of those TSEPs are not yet fully demonstrated. To overcome this drawback, a power instrumented diode was developed with a Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) sensor integrated on its top metal surface. This validation tool is characterized in this paper under constant power dissipation. The embedded RTD sensor is conditioned in a resistance bridge circuit. A dynamic characterization of a realistic power module is performed through thermal impedance evaluation. A comparative study is carried out to discuss the static and dynamic performances of the RTD sensor and those of ...