| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 546792 | Microelectronics Reliability | 2014 | 9 Pages |
•We propose a novel method to enable online estimation of IGBT junction temperature.•Miller plateau width in Vge waveform depend linearly on IGBT junction temperature.•A measurement circuit was implemented at gate level to measure Miller plateau width.•A model has been proposed to extract junction temperature from Vge measurements.•IGBT module with two chips at different temperatures was analyzed using Vge method.
A novel method is presented for online estimation of the junction temperature (Tj) of semiconductor chips in IGBT modules, based on evaluating the gate-emitter voltage (Vge) during the IGBT switch off process. It is shown that the Miller plateau width (in the Vge waveform) depend linearly on the junction temperature of the IGBT chips. Hence, a method can be proposed for estimating the junction temperature even during converter operation – without the need of additional thermal sensors or complex Rth network models. A measurement circuit was implemented at gate level to measure the involved time duration and its functionality was demonstrated for different types of IGBT modules. A model has been proposed to extract Tj from Vge measurements. Finally, an IGBT module with semiconductor chips at two different temperatures has been measured using Vge method and this method was found to provide the average junction temperature of all the semiconductor chips.
