Computational-Efficient IGBT and Diode Thermal Modelling Methodology With High Accuracy

In an industrial context where high reliability is an increasingly important requirement, thermal modelling of power semiconductors becomes necessary for diagnostics and prognostics. This paper proposes a simulation-based methodology that can estimate junction temperatures in insulated gate bipolar transistors and diodes much faster than conventional methods with an improved accuracy. The approach is based on a combination of conventional steady state simulation techniques with a post-processing stage. The analysis is carried out by first calculating the conduction and switching losses and then obtaining the junction temperature by using the device thermal network. The obtained results (including both simulations and experiments) are compared to state-of-the-art methods, highlighting the accuracy of the proposed method.