IGBT chip current imaging system by scanning local magnetic field

• An IGBT/power diode current distribution imaging system was demonstrated.
• An automatic current imaging system based on the tiny coil sensor scanner.
• The system scans current distribution without any changes of the chip connections.

An IGBT/power diode current distribution imaging system was demonstrated. This system can capture current redistribution or oscillation inside or among chips on a DBC-level sub-module. It can perform failure analysis of power semiconductors by detecting problems such as nonuniform current distribution between bonding wires. The system scans the chip’s shape using a laser sensor and then records the local magnetic field near the bonding wire using a 4-axis robot coil sensor. The coil sensor has two pair of Cu patterned spiral coils symmetrically arranged on both sides of a 60-μm-thick polyimide film. The system enables the analysis of destructive current concentrations of the entire chip, among chips or a part of the chip under high current or high voltage switching conditions, without making any changes or disassembling the chip connections.