Active cycling reliability of power devices: Expectations and limitations

Active cycling of power devices, i.e. exposure to repetitive voltage and current pulses, causes power dissipation, resulting in thermo-mechanical loads that can cause different failure mechanisms. This paper focuses on degradation of the metallization. Requirements and customer expectations, using examples from automotive applications, are discussed, contrasting these with the procedures for reliability assessment and their limitations. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.