Power Electronics Characterization, Automation and Modeling Program

In-situ physics-of-device failure and reliability study of power electronic devices and components.

Argonne Power electronics group is focused toward advancing manufacturing technology through in-situ physics-of-device failure study of power electronic device and components. In addition, the group is engaged in strengthening US national security through reliability test of power electronic device and component in extreme harsh environment.

Infographic showing factors that go into power electronics characterization, automation and modeling program

Focus Area

Mission-specific accelerated reliability test
Radiation hardness test
Automation of characterization platform for harsh environment operation
In-situ physics-of-device failure analysis
Grid-dynamic driven failure analysis
Data analysis GUI platform development
Machine learning based life-time prediction model

Capabilities

Thermal aging test of power devices up to 1000^oC
Bias temperature instability test of power device and components
Accelerated neutron radiation failure-in-time (FIT), microdose, total ionizing displacement (TID) test of device and materials
High speed x-ray imaging of device during transient or switching failure
Dielectric degradation analysis of materials and device in extreme environment
Static characterization of power device
In-situ I-V monitoring and data collection of device and material in extreme environment
GUI platform to compare degradation of device and material before and after stress

Research Areas

In-situ Physics-of-Failure Analysis

The project focuses on leveraging APS’s x-ray high-speed imaging (HSI) capability to make Argonne a center for in-situ physics-of-failure analysis for high power high frequency WBG power device and aerospace component manufacturers. The project goal is to build a capability at the APS HSI beamline (32-ID) for testing and performing in-situ physics-of-failure analysis of WBG power devices and components during accelerated stressing and high speed switching.

Hardness Testing of Power Devices in Extreme Harsh Environment

The focus of this research is to demonstrate reliability testing of 600 V-1700 V GaN and SiC WBG power devices in high neutron radiation environment and high temperature (350^oC-800^oC) at a highly accelerated rate, and perform in-situ observation of electrical and thermal properties. The ultimate goal of this project is to build Argonne as a center for extreme condition reliability test in order to facilitate advance manufacturing of WBG devices and their extreme harsh environment application through aerospace and defense industry partners.

Benchmarking Wide Bandgap Power Devices

The project focus of benchmarking wide bandgap SiC power device through accelerated reliability test. We have developed thermal aging, bias temperature instability platform. In order to analyze static electrical properties, we have developed statistics and machine learning based GUI interface.

Publications/Presentations

M. Ahmed, B. Kucukgok, A. Yanguas-Gil, J. Hryn and K. Z. Gao “Reliability experimentation of 1200 V SiC power n-MOSFETs by accelerated thermal aging and bias temperature instability,” SN Applied Science, vol.1, article 733, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-0783-y.
C. Stankus, M. Ahmed, “Smoothing technique for calculating threshold voltage for high power devices,” vol. 164, pp. 107744, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2019.107744.
M. Ahmed, B. Kucukgok, A. Yanguas-Gil, J. Hryn, “Neutron radiation reliability testing of 650 GaN HEMT,” Journal of Radiation Physics, vol. 166, pp. 108256-1-4, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2019.108456.
M. Ahmed, B. Kucukghok, J. Hryn, A. Yanguas-Gil, K. Gao, S. A. Wender, K. Sawyer, “Neutron Radiation Reliability of 600V and 650V Wide Bandgap GaN Power MOSFETs,” Proc. GOMATECH, Paper no. 4, March, 2019.
Moinuddin Ahmed, “Reliability analysis of wide-bandgap semiconductor devices,” Presented on PowerAmerica Annual Meeting, February 6-8, 2018.
M. Ahmed, “Reliability benchmarking for wide bandgap power devices,” Presented on PowerAmerica Summer Workshop, August 22-24, 2018.
J. Hryn, M. Ahmed, “GaN Power Devices Reliability Testing in Neutron Radiation Environment,” Presented in IEEE ECCE Conference, Sept 23-27, 2018.
M. Ahmed, C. Stankus, A. Yanguas-Gil, J. Hryn, “Accelerated Reliability Test of Power Electronics Device and Component,” Presented in Argonne Postdoctoral Symposium 2019.
M. Ahmed, B. Kucukgok, A. Yanguas-Gil, J. Hryn, K. Z. Gao, “In-situ and Ex-situ Neutron Radiation Reliability Study of GaN Power Transistors,” PowerAmerica Annual Meeting, February, 2019.
M. Ahmed, “Hardness Testing of Wide Bandgap Power Devices in Harsh Environment,” Presented on PowerAmerica Annual Meeting, February, 2020