Estimation of the Internal Junction Temperatures of Resin Encapsulated IGBT Power Modules

Power electronics converters used in applications requiring high reliability require an accurate thermal manage- ment for each component. Therefore, several methods for the estimation of the junction temperature of power devices are reported in the literature, having different features in terms of sensitivity, linearity and calibration process. Nevertheless, state of the art technologies in power modules packaging, such as the resin encapsulation technology, have shown that junction temperature estimation is still an open issue. In such modules, the lack of physical access to the die has led a growing interest in estimation methods based on thermo-sensitive electrical parame- ters. This paper proposes a non-invasive method for the junction temperature estimation of high current resin encapsulated IGBT power modules. The proposed solution is suitable for the thermal model validation of industrial converters thanks to the off-the- shelf components and the easiness of implementation.