Evaluation of the Thermal Fatigue and Failure Mechanisms on Power Modules with Different Types of Substrates (DBC / IMS)

Power cycling results to be the most suitable test to verify the thermal fatigue on standard power electronic modules. This paper aims at defining the power cycling capability on devices with the same package but with a different substrate, Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) or Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS), where the components are soldered. A Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation has been previously developed to predict the fatigue life of the power modules and evaluate the stress analysis of the solder joints over the cycles. Experimentally, the IOL (Intermittent Operating Life) test was performed for each module at the same operating conditions.