WO2022264270A1 - 寿命診断装置および電力変換装置 - Google Patents
寿命診断装置および電力変換装置 Download PDFInfo
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- WO2022264270A1 WO2022264270A1 PCT/JP2021/022706 JP2021022706W WO2022264270A1 WO 2022264270 A1 WO2022264270 A1 WO 2022264270A1 JP 2021022706 W JP2021022706 W JP 2021022706W WO 2022264270 A1 WO2022264270 A1 WO 2022264270A1
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- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 194
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/327—Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers
- G01R31/3277—Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers of low voltage devices, e.g. domestic or industrial devices, such as motor protections, relays, rotation switches
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/26—Testing of individual semiconductor devices
- G01R31/2607—Circuits therefor
- G01R31/2608—Circuits therefor for testing bipolar transistors
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/26—Testing of individual semiconductor devices
- G01R31/2607—Circuits therefor
- G01R31/2621—Circuits therefor for testing field effect transistors, i.e. FET's
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/26—Testing of individual semiconductor devices
- G01R31/2642—Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/40—Testing power supplies
- G01R31/42—AC power supplies
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to a life diagnosis device and a power conversion device for semiconductor devices.
- Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for diagnosing deterioration of joints between electrodes of a semiconductor element in a semiconductor module used in a semiconductor device and terminals of the semiconductor module. . This technology measures the voltage between multiple terminals of a semiconductor module, estimates the degree of deterioration of the junction from the results of comparison between the measured voltage change over time and a predetermined diagnostic criterion, and determines the residual of the semiconductor device. Predict lifespan.
- Patent Document 1 In general, even if the specifications of a plurality of semiconductor modules are the same, individual differences exist in the characteristics of the plurality of semiconductor modules. Therefore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the change in voltage over time according to the characteristics of a certain semiconductor module is used as a diagnostic criterion, there is a possibility of erroneously diagnosing the remaining life of a semiconductor device using another semiconductor module. There is That is, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not eliminate individual differences in the characteristics of semiconductor modules, so the accuracy of diagnosing the remaining life is low.
- the present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and the purpose thereof is to provide a life diagnosis device and a power conversion device capable of accurately diagnosing the remaining life of a semiconductor device.
- a lifespan diagnosis device diagnoses the lifespan of a semiconductor device.
- the lifespan diagnostic device includes a first voltage meter, a second voltage meter, and a diagnosis section.
- a first voltage measuring instrument measures voltage between a first terminal connected to a first electrode of a semiconductor element mounted on a semiconductor device and a second terminal connected to a second electrode of the semiconductor element.
- a first voltage is measured.
- a second voltage meter measures a second voltage between the second terminal and a third terminal connected to the second electrode.
- the diagnosis unit diagnoses the life of the semiconductor device using a correlation value between the change over time of the first voltage and the change over time of the second voltage.
- the correlation value between the change over time of the first voltage and the change over time of the second voltage is used for life diagnosis.
- the change over time of the first voltage and the change over time of the second voltage vary for each individual semiconductor module including the semiconductor element, the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal.
- the variation of the correlation value over time for each individual semiconductor module is small. Therefore, it is possible to diagnose the lifespan of a semiconductor module with high precision, eliminating the influence of individual differences in semiconductor modules.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a lifespan diagnosis device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure
- FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows an example of the internal structure of a semiconductor module.
- 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of progress of deterioration (life consumption rate) of the semiconductor module 30A and changes over time in voltages Vce and Vee
- FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of progress of deterioration (life consumption rate) of the semiconductor module 30B and changes over time in voltages Vce and Vee
- FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A
- FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B;
- FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the effect of slight fluctuations in the values of voltages Vce and Vee;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing temporal changes in the correlation value “Vee magnification/Vce magnification” calculated in the second example of life diagnosis.
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 30% is used as the reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the point of time when the life consumption rate is 30% is used as the reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the point of life consumption rate of 40% is used as a reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 40% is used as the reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 40% is used as the reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the point of time when the life consumption rate is 50% is used as a reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the point of time when the life consumption rate is 50% is used as a reference value;
- FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the point of time when the life consumption rate is 60% is used as a reference value;
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 60% is used as the reference value;
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a lifespan diagnosis device according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power conversion system to which a power conversion device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is applied;
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a lifespan diagnosis device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.
- the life diagnosis device 1 is connected to the semiconductor device 2 and diagnoses the life of the semiconductor device 2 .
- the lifespan diagnosis apparatus 1 diagnoses the lifespan of the semiconductor device 2 by diagnosing the state of deterioration of the electrical joints in the semiconductor module 30 inside the semiconductor device 2 .
- the semiconductor module 30 includes a semiconductor element 5.
- the semiconductor element 5 is, for example, an IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor), a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor), or another semiconductor element.
- the semiconductor element 5, which is an IGBT will be described below.
- the semiconductor element 5 has a collector electrode, an emitter electrode and a gate electrode.
- the semiconductor module 30 has a collector main terminal 6 , a gate terminal 7 , an emitter main terminal 8 and an emitter reference terminal 9 as terminals connected to electrodes of the semiconductor element 5 .
- the collector main terminal 6 is connected to the collector electrode of the semiconductor element 5 via a collector-side main circuit connection portion 10 such as a metal wire, metal ribbon, or metal plate.
- the emitter main terminal 8 is connected to the emitter electrode of the semiconductor element 5 via an emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 such as a metal wire, metal ribbon, or metal plate.
- Gate terminal 7 is connected to the gate terminal of semiconductor element 5 .
- Emitter reference terminal 9 is connected to the emitter electrode of semiconductor element 5 .
- the semiconductor element 5 is driven so as to be either an ON state in which a large current flows from the collector main terminal 6 to the emitter main terminal 8 or an OFF state in which no current flows from the collector main terminal 6 to the emitter main terminal 8 .
- the ON state and OFF state are switched depending on whether or not a positive or negative voltage is applied between the gate terminal 7 and the emitter reference terminal 9 .
- a large current does not flow between the gate terminal 7 and the emitter reference terminal 9 .
- a large current is intermittently applied from the collector main terminal 6 to the emitter main terminal 8 in the semiconductor element 5 . Therefore, the collector-side main circuit connection portion 10 and the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 are likely to deteriorate. On the other hand, since a large current does not flow through the gate terminal 7 and the emitter reference terminal 9, deterioration is less likely to occur at these connections. Therefore, the lifetimes of the collector-side main circuit connection portion 10 and the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 are selected as objects to be diagnosed.
- the lifespan diagnostic device 1 includes a diagnostic processing unit 3 and a display unit 4.
- the diagnostic processing unit 3 diagnoses the life of the semiconductor device 2 by diagnosing the state of deterioration of the collector-side main circuit connecting portion 10 and the emitter-side main circuit connecting portion 11 .
- the diagnostic processing unit 3 displays the diagnostic result on the display unit 4 .
- the display unit 4 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. Note that the display unit 4 may exist outside the lifespan diagnosis device 1 .
- the diagnostic processing unit 3 is composed of software executed on an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer or CPU (Central Processing Unit), and hardware such as circuit devices that implement various functions.
- an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer or CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- hardware such as circuit devices that implement various functions.
- the diagnostic processing unit 3 includes a Vce amplifier 12, a Vee amplifier 13, reference value storage units 14 and 15, temporal change extracting units 16 and 17, a correlation value calculating unit 18, a storage unit 19, and a temporal change calculating unit. 20 and a lifespan diagnosis unit 21 .
- the Vce amplifier 12 measures the voltage between the collector main terminal 6 and the emitter main terminal 8 and amplifies the measurement result to a voltage Vce suitable for post-processing.
- the Vce amplifier 12 outputs the voltage Vce to the secular change extractor 16 .
- the Vee amplifier 13 measures the voltage between the emitter reference terminal 9 and the emitter main terminal 8 and amplifies the measurement result to a voltage Vee suitable for post-processing.
- the Vee amplifier 13 outputs the voltage Vee to the temporal change extractor 17 .
- the reference value storage unit 14 stores a first reference value that is the value of the voltage Vce measured before the semiconductor device 2 is started to be used (that is, in an unused state). A first reference value is measured when the semiconductor module 30 is in the ON state.
- the reference value storage unit 15 stores a second reference value that is the value of the voltage Vee measured before the semiconductor device 2 is started to be used (that is, in an unused state). A second reference value is measured when the semiconductor module 30 is in the ON state.
- the first reference value and the second reference value are preferably representative values of values repeatedly measured under an environment suitable for measuring the voltages Vce and Vee.
- the secular change extracting unit 16 compares the voltage Vce output from the Vce amplifier 12 with the first reference value stored in the reference value storage unit 14 to determine the time from when the first reference value was measured. A change in the voltage Vce over time is extracted. Specifically, the time-dependent change extraction unit 16 calculates a value indicating the time-dependent change of the voltage Vce (hereinafter referred to as "time-dependent change amount ⁇ Vce").
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce is, for example, the difference between the value of the voltage Vce output from the Vce amplifier 12 and the first reference value, the magnification of the value of the voltage Vce output from the Vce amplifier 12 with respect to the first reference value, For example, it is a value obtained by subtracting the first constant from the magnification.
- the first constant is 1, for example.
- the secular change extracting unit 17 compares the voltage Vee output from the Vee amplifier 13 with the second reference value stored in the reference value storage unit 15 to determine the time from when the second reference value was measured. A change in voltage Vee over time is extracted. Specifically, the time-dependent change extraction unit 17 calculates a value indicating the time-dependent change of the voltage Vee (hereinafter referred to as "time-dependent change amount ⁇ Vee").
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee is, for example, the difference between the value of the voltage Vee output from the Vee amplifier 13 and the second reference value, the magnification of the value of the voltage Vee output from the Vee amplifier 13 with respect to the second reference value, For example, it is a value obtained by subtracting a second constant from the magnification.
- the second constant is 1, for example.
- the correlation value calculation unit 18 calculates a correlation value between changes in the voltage Vce over time and changes in the voltage Vee over time. Specifically, the correlation value calculator 18 calculates a correlation value between the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce calculated by the change over time extractor 16 and the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee calculated by the change over time extractor 17 .
- the correlation value is, for example, the difference between the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce and the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee, or the ratio obtained by dividing the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee by the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce.
- the correlation value calculator 18 stores the calculated correlation value in the storage unit 19 .
- the storage unit 19 stores the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18 in association with the time information.
- the temporal change calculation unit 20 uses the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18 and the past correlation value stored in the storage unit 19 to calculate a temporal change amount ⁇ Cor that indicates the temporal change of the correlation value.
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Cor is, for example, the absolute value of the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18, or the difference between the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18 and the past correlation value stored in the storage unit 19.
- the past correlation value is, for example, the most recent correlation value among the correlation values stored in the storage unit 19, or the correlation value at the time that preceded a predetermined period from the present time among the correlation values stored in the storage unit 19. .
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Cor is a value obtained by dividing the difference between the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18 and the past correlation value stored in the storage unit 19 by the elapsed time (that is, the first order differential coefficient with respect to time).
- the elapsed time is the time from the time indicated by the time information corresponding to the past correlation value to the present time.
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Cor is a value obtained by dividing the difference between the correlation value calculated by the correlation value calculation unit 18 and the past correlation value stored in the storage unit 19 by the elapsed time (that is, second derivative).
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 diagnoses the lifespan of the semiconductor device 2 based on the amount of change over time ⁇ Cor calculated by the change over time calculation unit 20 . Specifically, the life diagnosis section 21 diagnoses the lives of the collector side main circuit connection section 10 and the emitter side main circuit connection section 11 based on the amount of change ⁇ Cor over time.
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 displays information indicating the diagnosis result (hereinafter referred to as “lifespan information”) on the display unit 4 . As a result, the user of the semiconductor device 2 can perform maintenance of the semiconductor device 2 at appropriate timing by checking the life information.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of a semiconductor module.
- semiconductor module 30 includes semiconductor element 5 .
- the semiconductor element 5 is generally obtained by subjecting a planar semiconductor to electrode processing.
- the semiconductor element 5 has a collector electrode 5a formed on the bottom surface of the semiconductor and an emitter electrode 5b formed on the top surface of the semiconductor.
- the collector electrode 5 a is connected to the metal plate 22 .
- the metal plate 22 is connected to the collector main terminal 6 via the collector side main circuit connection portion 10 .
- a bonding wire is used as the collector side main circuit connecting portion 10 . Bonding wires are made of aluminum, copper, or other alloys. A bonding wire is joined to a terminal or an electrode by crushing it with ultrasonic waves.
- the emitter electrode 5b is connected to the emitter main terminal 8 via the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11.
- a bonding wire is used as the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 .
- the emitter electrode 5b is connected to the emitter reference terminal 9 via the connection portion 23. As shown in FIG. A bonding wire is used as the connecting portion 23 .
- a large current flows through a current path 24 that flows from the collector main terminal 6 to the emitter main terminal 8 .
- no large current flows through the connection portion 23 connecting the emitter reference terminal 9 and the emitter electrode 5b.
- the collector electrode 5a is connected to the collector side main circuit connecting portion 10 via the metal plate 22.
- the contact area between the collector electrode 5a and the metal plate 22 is much larger than the contact area between the emitter electrode 5b and the emitter-side main circuit connecting portion 11. FIG. Therefore, the joint between the semiconductor element 5 and the metal plate 22 is less susceptible to distortion due to heat.
- Both the collector-side main circuit connection portion 10 and the metal plate 22 are made of metal. Therefore, although the contact area between the collector side main circuit connection portion 10 and the metal plate 22 is small, the joint portion between the collector side main circuit connection portion 10 and the metal plate 22 is less susceptible to distortion due to heat.
- the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 is directly connected to the emitter electrode 5b, and the contact area between the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 and the emitter electrode 5b is small. Therefore, the junction between the semiconductor element 5 and the emitter-side main circuit connecting portion 11 is susceptible to distortion due to heat.
- the connection portion 23 is directly connected to the emitter electrode 5b, and the contact area between the connection portion 23 and the emitter electrode 5b is small. Therefore, the joints between the semiconductor element 5 and the connection parts 23 are also susceptible to distortion due to heat.
- the current flowing through the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 is larger than the current flowing through the connection portion 23. Therefore, the junction between the semiconductor element 5 and the emitter-side main circuit connection portion 11 is the source of the semiconductor element 5. Because it is directly exposed to heat, it deteriorates the fastest.
- Voltage Vce is the voltage between collector main terminal 6 and emitter main terminal 8 on path 24 shown in FIG.
- Voltage Vee is the voltage between emitter reference terminal 9 and emitter main terminal 8 .
- Emitter reference terminal 9 is not present on path 24 .
- the voltages Vce and Vee are voltages on different paths. Therefore, temporal changes in the voltages Vce and Vee due to deterioration of the junction may differ from each other.
- FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of progress of deterioration (lifetime consumption rate) of the semiconductor module 30A and changes over time in the voltages Vce and Vee.
- FIG. 3 shows the "magnification with respect to the reference value" as the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee. That is, the magnification of the value of the voltage Vce output from the Vce amplifier 12 with respect to the first reference value (hereinafter referred to as "Vce magnification”), and the voltage output from the Vee amplifier 13 with respect to the second reference value Vee value magnification (hereinafter referred to as "Vee magnification”) is graphed.
- Vce magnification the magnification of the value of the voltage Vce output from the Vce amplifier 12 with respect to the first reference value
- Vee value magnification the voltage output from the Vee amplifier 13 with respect to the second reference value Vee value magnification
- the vertical axis indicates the magnification (Vce magnification, Vee magnification) with respect to the reference value.
- the horizontal axis indicates the ratio of the elapsed time from the start of use divided by the total life span during which the semiconductor module becomes unusable (hereinafter referred to as "life consumption rate").
- the Vce and Vee magnifications increase with the passage of time (that is, the life consumption rate increases).
- the semiconductor module 30A starts to be used (that is, when the life consumption rate is 0%)
- the voltages Vce and Vee are the same as the first and second reference values, respectively. Therefore, both the Vce scale factor and the Vee scale factor are one.
- the Vee magnification is always larger than the Vce magnification.
- the life consumption rate is 80% (that is, when 80% of the entire life span has elapsed)
- the Vee magnification is 1.5
- the Vce magnification is 1.015. That is, the value of voltage Vee increases by 50% from the second reference value, while the value of voltage Vce increases by only 1.5% from the first reference value.
- the Vee magnification is 4, while the Vce magnification is 1.5.
- the life of a semiconductor module it is important to accurately predict how much longer the semiconductor module can be used, that is, the remaining life. For example, when the life of a semiconductor module reaches 20%, if it is possible to notify the user of the semiconductor module that the remaining life is 20% as the life diagnosis information, the user of the semiconductor module can arrange replacement of the semiconductor module in advance. It is possible to perform planned maintenance such as If the accuracy of this prediction is low, the semiconductor module may reach the end of its service life before the user performs the replacement work, and the semiconductor device may become unusable.
- remaining life information is notified based on changes in the Vce and Vee magnifications as shown in FIG. For example, when the Vee magnification reaches 1.5, remaining life information indicating that the remaining life is 20% is notified.
- FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of progress of deterioration (life consumption rate) of the semiconductor module 30B and the change over time of the voltages Vce and Vee.
- the semiconductor module 30B is a separate module having the same specifications as the semiconductor module 30A. Similar to FIG. 3, FIG. 4 shows a graph in which the vertical axis is the magnification (Vce magnification, Vee magnification) with respect to the reference value, and the horizontal axis is the life consumption rate.
- the Vce magnification and the Vee magnification increase with the passage of time (that is, an increase in the life consumption rate).
- the changes in the Vce and Vee magnifications in the semiconductor module 30B are different from the changes in the Vce and Vee magnifications in the semiconductor module 30A.
- the semiconductor module 30A has a life consumption rate of 80%
- the semiconductor module 30B has a life consumption rate of 90%.
- the Vee magnification is 1.3.
- a life diagnosis method is adopted that notifies remaining life information indicating that the remaining life is 20% at the timing when the Vee magnification reaches 1.5. If so, the following problems will arise: That is, when the life diagnosis method is applied to the semiconductor module 30B, remaining life information indicating that the remaining life is 20% is notified when the life consumption rate is 90%. In this way, the remaining life information indicating the remaining life that is different from the actual remaining life is notified, and the accuracy of the life diagnosis is low.
- the lifespan diagnosis apparatus 1 uses the correlation value between the voltage Vce and the voltage Vee with time to perform more accurate lifespan diagnosis. The reason why the accuracy of life diagnosis is improved by using the correlation value will be described below.
- Parameters indicating the characteristics of the semiconductor module 30 include various parameters in addition to the voltages Vce and Vee. In general, the values of these parameters vary among individual semiconductor modules 30 even if they have the same specifications. Possible causes include variations in the quality of members and variations in processing conditions during the manufacturing process. In this way, although the values of the parameters indicating the characteristics vary from individual to individual, the correlation of the values of these parameters is maintained in the same individual. This is because the factors that determine the values of these parameters depend on product specifications, that is, design. For example, if the amount of change ⁇ Vce with time increases under certain manufacturing conditions, the amount of change ⁇ Vee with time also increases.
- the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee is the same for products with the same specifications even if the individual products are different.
- the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in a plurality of semiconductor modules 30 with the same specification is constant.
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee increases early, and the rate of increase gradually increases toward the end of the life. go.
- the amount of change over time .DELTA.Vce does not increase easily from the early stage to the middle period, and maintains a value considerably lower than the amount of change over time .DELTA.Vee.
- the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce increases rapidly at the end of the period. Such a relationship can also be seen in the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B shown in FIG.
- the values of the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in semiconductor module 30B are smaller than the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in semiconductor module 30A. Therefore, the values of the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B cannot simply be compared with the values of the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A.
- the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B is the same as the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A. That is, the shape of the graph shown in FIG. 4 has the shape of the graph shown in FIG. 3 reduced along the vertical axis.
- the present disclosure diagnoses the life of the semiconductor module 30 by utilizing the fact that the correlation between the characteristics of the plurality of semiconductor modules 30 having the same specifications is constant. Specifically, in Embodiment 1, the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee is used. This enables a highly accurate lifespan diagnosis that eliminates individual variation.
- FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B. 5 and 6, a value obtained by subtracting the first constant "1" from the magnification of the voltage Vce with respect to the first reference value (hereinafter referred to as "Vce increase rate”) is extracted as the amount of change ⁇ Vce with time. An example is shown. Similarly, FIGS.
- 5 and 6 show a value obtained by subtracting the second constant "1" from the magnification of the voltage Vee with respect to the second reference value (hereinafter referred to as "Vee increase rate") as the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee. is extracted.
- Vee increase rate the second constant (hereinafter referred to as "Vee increase rate") as the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee. is extracted.
- 5 and 6 show graphs in which the horizontal axis is the life consumption rate, the left vertical axis is the Vce increase rate and the Vee increase rate, and the right vertical axis is the correlation value.
- the correlation value is the ratio of the Vee rise rate divided by the Vce rise rate.
- the correlation value that indicates the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee does not monotonically increase, but becomes a curve with a mountain-like peak that rises once and then turns to fall. .
- the voltage Vee increases early and continues to rise relatively monotonously, whereas the voltage Vce does not increase easily in the early stage and rises sharply at the end.
- the correlation value shows an increase in the early stage, strongly reflecting the increase in the voltage Vee. becomes maximum. After that, at the end of the period, the rate of increase of the voltage Vce sharply increases, so the correlation value begins to decrease. Therefore, the correlation value becomes a mountain-shaped curve with a peak.
- the shape of the graph showing the change over time of the correlation value in the semiconductor module 30A matches the shape of the graph showing the change over time of the correlation value in the semiconductor module 30B.
- the time when the correlation value reaches its maximum that is, the time when the first order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0 is the time when the life consumption rate is 80%.
- the point in time when the correlation value reaches its maximum that is, the point in time when the first order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0, is when the life consumption rate is 80%.
- the point in time when the correlation value becomes maximum is the point in time when the life consumption rate is 80% for both of the semiconductor modules 30A and 30B.
- the temporal change calculation unit 20 calculates the first order differential coefficient of the correlation value as the temporal change amount ⁇ Cor that indicates the temporal change of the correlation value.
- the life diagnosis unit 21 can determine that the remaining life is 20% when the first order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0. As a result, individual variation can be eliminated, and highly accurate lifespan diagnosis is possible.
- the temporal change calculation unit 20 may further calculate the second order differential coefficient of the correlation value as the temporal change amount ⁇ Cor that indicates the temporal change of the correlation value.
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 may perform lifespan diagnosis using not only the first-order differential coefficient of the correlation value but also the second-order differential coefficient. For example, the time when the second order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0 corresponds to the inflection point of the curve of the correlation value, and is the time when the rate of increase of the correlation value turns from increasing to decreasing. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in both semiconductor modules 30A and 30B, the point in time when the second order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0 is the point in time when the life consumption rate reaches 70%. Therefore, the life diagnosis unit 21 can determine that the remaining life is 30% when the second order differential coefficient of the correlation value becomes 0. This enables a highly accurate lifespan diagnosis that eliminates individual variation.
- the change-over-time calculation unit 20 calculates the ratio of the peak value, which is the correlation value when the first-order differential coefficient becomes 0, to the correlation value after that as the amount of change over time ⁇ Cor that indicates the change over time of the correlation value. may By confirming the ratio, the life diagnosing unit 21 may diagnose that the life consumption rate is 96% and the remaining life is 4% when the correlation value has decreased to half of the peak value. Thereby, the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 can display an end-of-life warning on the display unit 4 .
- the correlation value may fluctuate greatly. This is because the correlation value is calculated by dividing a small value close to zero by a small value close to zero. As a result, small fluctuations in the measured values of the voltages Vce and Vee can cause large fluctuations in the correlation values. Therefore, the correlation value tends to be inaccurate at the beginning.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the effect of slight fluctuations in the values of the voltages Vce and Vee.
- the correlation value which is the ratio divided by ) fluctuates greatly. Large variations in such correlation values may affect lifespan diagnosis.
- the temporal change extracting unit 16 extracts a value obtained by subtracting the first constant "0" from the Vce magnification (that is, the Vce magnification itself) as the temporal variation ⁇ Vce.
- the temporal change extracting unit 17 extracts a value obtained by subtracting the second constant "0" from the Vee magnification (that is, the Vee magnification itself) as the temporal variation ⁇ Vee.
- the correlation value calculating unit 18 calculates a ratio obtained by dividing the Vee scale by the Vce scale (Vee scale/Vce scale) as a correlation value indicating the correlation between the voltage Vce change over time and the voltage Vee change over time. good.
- FIG. 8 is a diagram showing temporal changes in the correlation value "Vee magnification/Vce magnification" calculated in the second example of life diagnosis.
- the correlation value "Vee magnification/Vce magnification” gradually increases with the increase in the life consumption rate in the initial stage. This allows monitoring of minor deterioration of the joint at an early stage.
- the correlation value "Vee magnification/Vce magnification” is not suitable for detecting a sudden rise in the voltage Vce near the end of the period. Therefore, the temporal change extraction units 16 and 17 set the Vce magnification and Vee Extract the magnification, respectively. After the switching timing, the secular change extraction units 16 and 17 extract the Vce increase rate and the Vee increase rate as the secular change amounts ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee, respectively.
- the correlation value calculator 18 calculates the correlation value "Vee scale factor/Vce scale factor” as a correlation value indicating the correlation between the change in voltage Vce over time and the change in voltage Vee over time until the switching timing, and after the switching timing, the correlation value "Vee increase rate/Vce increase rate" is calculated.
- the life diagnosis unit 21 diagnoses the life using the temporal change of the correlation value "Vee magnification/Vce magnification” at the early stage, and uses the temporal change of the correlation value "Vee increase rate/Vce increase rate” at the end. Life expectancy can be diagnosed. As a result, both initial deterioration and final deterioration can be monitored with high accuracy.
- the constant subtracted from the magnification is not limited to 0 or 1, and may change from a value close to 0 to a value close to 1 from the beginning to the end. As a result, it is possible to calculate a more appropriate correlation value for predicting the life according to the use of the semiconductor module 30 .
- the lifespan diagnosis device 1 includes the Vce amplifier 12 , the Vee amplifier 13 , and the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 .
- the Vce amplifier 12 measures the voltage Vce between the collector main terminal 6 connected to the collector electrode of the semiconductor element 5 mounted on the semiconductor device 2 and the emitter main terminal 8 connected to the emitter electrode of the semiconductor element 5. It works as a voltage measuring instrument.
- the Vee amplifier 13 operates as a voltage meter that measures the voltage Vee between the emitter main terminal 8 and the emitter reference terminal 9 connected to the emitter electrode.
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 diagnoses the lifespan of the semiconductor device 2 using a correlation value between changes in the voltage Vce with time and changes in the voltage Vee with time.
- the correlation value of the changes over time of the voltages Vce and Vee is used for life diagnosis.
- the voltages Vce and Vee vary with time depending on the individual semiconductor modules 30, variations in the variation with time of the correlation value with respect to each individual semiconductor module 30 are small. Therefore, it is possible to diagnose the lifespan of the semiconductor module 30 with high accuracy, eliminating the influence of individual differences of the semiconductor modules 30 .
- the amount of change ⁇ Vce in the voltage Vce over time is indicated, for example, by a value obtained by subtracting the first constant from the multiplier of the value of the voltage Vce with respect to the first reference value (Vce multiplier or Vce increase rate).
- the amount of change ⁇ Vee in the voltage Vee over time is indicated by a value (Vee multiplier or Vee increase rate) obtained by subtracting the second constant from the multiplier of the value of the voltage Vee with respect to the second reference value.
- the correlation value is, for example, the ratio of the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce to the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee (Vee magnification/Vce magnification or Vee increase rate/Vce increase rate).
- the life diagnosis unit 21 can detect that a specific life consumption rate has been reached and output life information indicating the remaining life according to the maximal correlation value.
- a user of the semiconductor device 2 can perform maintenance at an appropriate time by checking the life information.
- the first constant and the second constant are 1, for example.
- the first constant and the second constant are 0, for example. Therefore, in the initial stage of use of the semiconductor device 2, the correlation value becomes a stable value and gradually increases as the life consumption rate increases. This makes it possible to monitor minute deterioration of the junctions in the semiconductor device 2 at an early stage.
- the first reference value is the value of the voltage Vce measured before the semiconductor device 2 is started to be used.
- the second reference value is the voltage Vee measured before the semiconductor device 2 is put into use.
- the semiconductor device 2 Before the semiconductor device 2 is used, it is possible to repeatedly measure the voltages Vce and Vee in an environment suitable for measuring the voltages Vce and Vee, and the voltages Vce and Vee can be measured with high accuracy. As a result, the reliability of the correlation value calculated for the subsequent lifespan diagnosis is increased, and the accuracy of the lifespan diagnosis is improved.
- Embodiment 2 values of voltages Vce and Vee measured before the start of use of semiconductor device 2 (that is, in an unused state) are used as the first and second reference values, respectively. However, in this case, it is not possible to diagnose the life of semiconductor device 2 whose voltages Vce and Vee have not been measured before use.
- reference value storage units 14 and 15 provide The values of the measured voltages Vce and Vee are stored as first and second reference values, respectively.
- FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the point of time when the life consumption rate is 30% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 30% is used as the reference value.
- 9 and 10 as in FIGS. 5 and 6, the horizontal axis represents the life consumption rate, the left vertical axis represents the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee (Vce increase rate, Vee increase rate), and the right vertical axis represents the correlation value.
- a graph labeled "Vee magnification/Vce magnification" is shown.
- the values of the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee at the same life consumption rate differ between the semiconductor module 30A and the semiconductor module 30B. That is, the life consumption rate cannot be estimated and the remaining life cannot be predicted only from the values of the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee.
- the curve of the correlation value "Vee increase rate/Vce increase rate” shows the same shape for the semiconductor module 30A and the semiconductor module 30B. Specifically, the curve of the correlation value “Vee increase rate/Vce increase rate” is mountain-shaped with a peak near the life consumption rate of 76%. Therefore, the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 can more accurately diagnose the lifespan of the semiconductor module 30 based on the curve of the correlation value, regardless of individual differences in the semiconductor module 30 .
- the curve showing the temporal change of the correlation value has a different shape from the curves shown in FIGS.
- the curve showing the temporal change of the correlation value shows the same shape regardless of the individual difference of the semiconductor modules 30 .
- FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage when the life consumption rate is 40% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 40% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 50% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 40% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at
- FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 50% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30A when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 60% is used as the reference value.
- FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the correlation between the amounts of change over time ⁇ Vce and ⁇ Vee in the semiconductor module 30B when the voltage at the time when the life consumption rate is 60% is used as the reference value.
- FIGS. 11 to 16 as in FIGS.
- the horizontal axis is the life consumption rate
- the left vertical axis is the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce
- ⁇ Vee Vce increase rate, Vee increase rate
- the right vertical axis is the correlation.
- a graph is shown with the values "Vee scale/Vce scale”.
- the curve showing the change over time of the correlation value "Vee rise rate/Vce rise rate” is the same if the consumption life rate at the time of measurement of the voltage set as the reference value is the same. They show the same shape. That is, the correlation value curve shown in FIG. 11 has the same shape as the correlation value curve shown in FIG. The correlation value curve shown in FIG. 13 has the same shape as the correlation value curve shown in FIG. The correlation value curve shown in FIG. 15 has the same shape as the correlation value curve shown in FIG.
- the life consumption rate at the time of measurement is usually unknown.
- the shape of the correlation value curve depends on the life consumption rate when measuring the voltages Vce and Vee used as the first and second reference values. Therefore, the life diagnosis unit 21 stores in advance a plurality of correlation value curves having different life consumption rates when measuring the voltages Vce and Vee used as the first and second reference values.
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 compares the curve indicating the temporal change of the correlation value output from the temporal change calculation unit 20 with a plurality of curves stored in advance.
- the lifespan diagnosis unit 21 selects, from among a plurality of curves stored in advance, the curve that has the highest degree of agreement with the curve indicating the temporal change of the correlation value output from the temporal change calculation unit 20, and the selected curve Based on this, the life of the semiconductor module 30 can be diagnosed. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when the correlation value consistently decreases from the start of measurement, the life diagnosis unit 21 estimates that the life consumption rate at the start of measurement exceeds 60%. can. 11 and 12, the life diagnosis unit 21 estimates that the life consumption rate is approximately 73% in response to the change in correlation value from increase to decrease. can.
- the lifetime diagnosis of the semiconductor device 2 is possible.
- FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a lifespan diagnosis device according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.
- a lifespan diagnosis device 1A according to Embodiment 3 differs from the lifespan diagnosis device 1 shown in FIG.
- the diagnostic processing section 3A differs from the diagnostic processing section 3 in that it includes a Vce amplifier 12A instead of the Vce amplifier 12.
- FIG. 12A is a Vce amplifier 12A instead of the Vce amplifier 12.
- the Vce amplifier 12A measures the voltage between the collector main terminal 6 and the emitter reference terminal 9, and amplifies the measurement result to a voltage Vce suitable for post-processing.
- the Vce amplifier 12 ⁇ /b>A outputs the voltage Vce to the secular change extractor 16 .
- the lifetime of the semiconductor device 2 can be diagnosed based on the correlation value indicating the correlation between the voltage Vce and the voltage Vee over time.
- the voltage Vce is less likely to be affected by the emitter-side main circuit connecting portion 11.
- FIG. Therefore, the difference between the amount of change over time ⁇ Vce and the amount of change over time ⁇ Vee may increase as compared to the first embodiment. Therefore, depending on the configuration of the semiconductor module 30, the configuration of the first embodiment or the configuration of the third embodiment may be adopted. As a result, the life of the semiconductor device 2 can be diagnosed more appropriately according to the configuration of the semiconductor module 30 .
- Embodiment 4 applies the semiconductor device to be diagnosed by the lifetime diagnosis apparatus according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 described above to a power conversion device.
- the present disclosure is not limited to a specific power converter, a case where the present disclosure is applied to a three-phase inverter will be described below as a fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power conversion system to which a power conversion device according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure is applied.
- the power conversion system shown in FIG. 18 is composed of a power supply 100, a power converter 200, and a load 300.
- the power supply 100 is a DC power supply and supplies DC power to the power converter 200 .
- the power supply 100 can be composed of various things, for example, it can be composed of a DC system, a solar battery, a storage battery, or it can be composed of a rectifier circuit or an AC/DC converter connected to an AC system. good too.
- the power supply 100 may be configured by a DC/DC converter that converts DC power output from the DC system into predetermined power.
- the power conversion device 200 is a three-phase inverter connected between the power supply 100 and the load 300 , converts the DC power supplied from the power supply 100 into AC power, and supplies the AC power to the load 300 .
- the power conversion device 200 includes a main conversion circuit 201 that converts DC power into AC power and outputs it, and a control circuit 203 that outputs a control signal for controlling the main conversion circuit 201 to the main conversion circuit 201. and Further, the power conversion device 200 includes the life diagnosis device 1 (or life diagnosis device 1A) described above.
- the load 300 is a three-phase electric motor driven by AC power supplied from the power converter 200 .
- the load 300 is not limited to a specific application, but is an electric motor mounted on various electrical equipment, such as a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a railway vehicle, an elevator, or an electric motor for air conditioning equipment.
- the main conversion circuit 201 includes a switching element and a freewheeling diode (not shown). By switching the switching element, the DC power supplied from the power supply 100 is converted into AC power and supplied to the load 300 .
- the main conversion circuit 201 according to the present embodiment is a two-level three-phase full bridge circuit, and has six switching elements and It can consist of six freewheeling diodes in anti-parallel.
- the semiconductor device 2 according to any one of the first to third embodiments described above is applied to at least one of each switching element and each freewheeling diode of the main conversion circuit 201 .
- each upper and lower arm forms each phase (U phase, V phase, W phase) of the full bridge circuit.
- Output terminals of the upper and lower arms, that is, three output terminals of the main conversion circuit 201 are connected to the load 300 .
- the main conversion circuit 201 includes a drive circuit (not shown) for driving each switching element. It may be a configuration provided.
- the drive circuit generates a drive signal for driving the switching element of the main conversion circuit 201 and supplies it to the control electrode of the switching element of the main conversion circuit 201 .
- a drive signal for turning on the switching element and a drive signal for turning off the switching element are output to the control electrode of each switching element.
- the driving signal When maintaining the switching element in the ON state, the driving signal is a voltage signal (ON signal) equal to or higher than the threshold voltage of the switching element, and when maintaining the switching element in the OFF state, the driving signal is a voltage equal to or less than the threshold voltage of the switching element. signal (off signal).
- the control circuit 203 controls the switching elements of the main conversion circuit 201 so that the desired power is supplied to the load 300 . Specifically, based on the power to be supplied to the load 300, the time (on time) during which each switching element of the main conversion circuit 201 should be in the ON state is calculated. For example, the main conversion circuit 201 can be controlled by PWM control that modulates the ON time of the switching element according to the voltage to be output. Then, a control command (control signal) to the drive circuit provided in the main conversion circuit 201 so that an ON signal is output to the switching element that should be in the ON state at each time point, and an OFF signal is output to the switching element that should be in the OFF state. to output The drive circuit outputs an ON signal or an OFF signal as a drive signal to the control electrode of each switching element according to this control signal.
- the semiconductor device 2 according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 3 is applied as the switching element and the freewheel diode of the main converter circuit 201, and the life of the semiconductor device 2 is diagnosed.
- a diagnostic device 1 is implemented. Therefore, it is possible to accurately diagnose the remaining life of the semiconductor device 2 .
- Embodiment 4 an example in which the present disclosure is applied to a two-level three-phase inverter has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to various power converters.
- a two-level power conversion device is used, but a three-level or multi-level power conversion device may be used. You can apply it.
- the present invention can be applied to a DC/DC converter or an AC/DC converter.
- the power conversion device to which the present disclosure is applied is not limited to the case where the above-described load is an electric motor. It can also be used as a device, and can also be used as a power conditioner for a photovoltaic power generation system, an electric storage system, or the like.
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Abstract
Description
(寿命診断装置の全体構成)
図1は、本開示の実施の形態1に係る寿命診断装置の構成の一例を示すブロック図である。寿命診断装置1は、半導体装置2と接続され、半導体装置2の寿命を診断する。具体的には、寿命診断装置1は、半導体装置2の内部の半導体モジュール30における電気的な接合部の劣化状態を診断することにより、半導体装置2の寿命を診断する。
図2は、半導体モジュールの内部構造の一例を示す断面模式図である。図2に示されるように、半導体モジュール30は、半導体素子5を含む。半導体素子5は、一般に平板状の半導体に電極加工を実施することにより得られる。図2に示す例では、半導体素子5は、半導体の下面に形成されたコレクタ電極5aと、半導体の上面に形成されたエミッタ電極5bと、を有する。
次に、接合部の劣化による電圧Vce,Veeの経時変化の例について述べる。電圧Vceは、図2に示す経路24における、コレクタ主端子6とエミッタ主端子8との間の電圧である。電圧Veeは、エミッタ参照端子9とエミッタ主端子8の間の電圧である。エミッタ参照端子9は、経路24上に存在しない。このように、電圧Vce,Veeは、互いに異なる経路上の電圧である。そのため、接合部の劣化による電圧Vce,Veeの経時変化は、互いに異なり得る。
半導体モジュール30の特性を示すパラメータには、電圧Vce,Veeの他にも様々なパラメータが含まれる。一般に、これらのパラメータの値は、同一仕様の半導体モジュール30であっても個体ごとにばらつく。その原因として、部材の品質上のばらつき、製造過程での加工条件のばらつきなどが考えられる。このように個体ごとに特性を示すパラメータの値のばらつきが発生するが、同一の個体では、これらのパラメータの値の相関関係は維持される。なぜなら、これらのパラメータの値の大きさを決める要因は、製品仕様、すなわち設計に依存しているからである。例えば、ある製造上の条件で、経時変化量ΔVceが大きくなるようなことがあれば、経時変化量ΔVeeも同様に大きくなる。このため、経時変化量ΔVce,ΔVeeの相関関係は、個体が異なっても、同一仕様の製品であれば同じになる。つまり、同一仕様の複数の半導体モジュール30における、経時変化量ΔVce,ΔVeeの相関関係は一定である。
図5,6を参照して、診断処理部3による第1の寿命診断例について説明する。図5は、半導体モジュール30Aにおける経時変化量ΔVce,ΔVeeの相関関係を示す図である。図6は、半導体モジュール30Bにおける経時変化量ΔVce,ΔVeeの相関関係を示す図である。図5,6には、経時変化量ΔVceとして、第1の基準値に対する電圧Vceの倍率から第1の定数「1」を引いた値(以下、「Vce上昇率」と称する。)が抽出された例が示される。同様に、図5,6には、経時変化量ΔVeeとして、第2の基準値に対する電圧Veeの倍率から第2の定数「1」を引いた値(以下、「Vee上昇率」と称する。)が抽出された例が示される。図5,6には、横軸を寿命消費率とし、左縦軸をVce上昇率,Vee上昇率とし、右縦軸を相関値とするグラフが示される。相関値は、Vee上昇率をVce上昇率で除した比の値である。
第1の寿命診断例では、経時変化量ΔVceとしてVce上昇率(第1の基準値に対する電圧Vceの倍率から第1の定数「1」を引いた値)が抽出されるため、初期の段階では、経時変化量ΔVceは0に近い。同様に、経時変化量ΔVeeとしてVee上昇率(第2の基準値に対する電圧Veeの倍率から第2の定数「1」を引いた値)が抽出されるため、初期の段階では、経時変化量ΔVeeは0に近い。そのため、相関値として、経時変化量ΔVeeを経時変化量ΔVceで除した比が算出される場合、相関値が大きく変動し得る。なぜなら、相関値は、0に近い小さな値を0に近い小さな値で割ることにより算出されるためである。その結果、電圧Vce,Veeの測定値の少しの揺らぎによって、相関値に大きな変動が生じ得る。そのため、初期には相関値が不正確になりやすい。
以上のように、実施の形態1に係る寿命診断装置1は、Vce増幅器12と、Vee増幅器13と、寿命診断部21と、を備える。Vce増幅器12は、半導体装置2に搭載される半導体素子5のコレクタ電極に接続されたコレクタ主端子6と、半導体素子5のエミッタ電極に接続されたエミッタ主端子8との間の電圧Vceを計測する電圧計測器として動作する。Vee増幅器13は、エミッタ主端子8とエミッタ電極に接続されたエミッタ参照端子9との間の電圧Veeを計測する電圧計測器として動作する。寿命診断部21は、電圧Vceの経時変化と電圧Veeの経時変化との相関値を用いて、半導体装置2の寿命を診断する。
実施の形態1では、第1,第2の基準値として、半導体装置2の使用の開始前(つまり、未使用状態)に計測された電圧Vce,Veeの値がそれぞれ用いられる。しかしながら、この場合、使用の開始前に電圧Vce,Veeが計測されていない半導体装置2の寿命診断を行なうことができない。
図17は、本開示の実施の形態3に係る寿命診断装置の構成の一例を示すブロック図である。実施の形態3に係る寿命診断装置1Aは、図1に示す寿命診断装置1と比較して、診断処理部3の代わりに診断処理部3Aを備える点で相違する。診断処理部3Aは、診断処理部3と比較して、Vce増幅器12の代わりにVce増幅器12Aを含む点で相違する。
実施の形態4は、上述した実施の形態1,2,3に係る寿命診断装置の診断対象となる半導体装置を電力変換装置に適用したものである。本開示は特定の電力変換装置に限定されるものではないが、以下、実施の形態4として、三相のインバータに本開示を適用した場合について説明する。
Claims (7)
- 半導体装置の寿命を診断する寿命診断装置であって、
前記半導体装置に搭載される半導体素子の第1の電極に接続された第1の端子と、前記半導体素子の第2の電極に接続された第2の端子との間の第1の電圧を計測する第1の電圧計測器と、
前記第2の端子と前記第2の電極に接続された第3の端子との間の第2の電圧を計測する第2の電圧計測器と、
前記第1の電圧の経時変化と前記第2の電圧の経時変化との相関値を用いて、前記半導体装置の寿命を診断する診断部と、を備える、寿命診断装置。 - 前記第1の電圧の経時変化は、第1の基準値に対する前記第1の電圧の値の倍率から第1の定数を引いた第1の値によって示され、
前記第2の電圧の経時変化は、第2の基準値に対する前記第2の電圧の値の倍率から第2の定数を引いた第2の値によって示され、
前記相関値は、前記第1の値と前記第2の値との比率である、請求項1に記載の寿命診断装置。 - 前記第1の定数および前記第2の定数は1である、請求項2に記載の寿命診断装置。
- 前記第1の定数および前記第2の定数は0である、請求項2に記載の寿命診断装置。
- 前記第1の基準値および前記第2の基準値はそれぞれ、前記半導体装置の使用の開始前に計測された、前記第1の電圧の値および前記第2の電圧の値である、請求項2から4のいずれか1項に記載の寿命診断装置。
- 前記第1の基準値および前記第2の基準値はそれぞれ、前記半導体装置の使用の開始後に計測された、前記第1の電圧の値および前記第2の電圧の値である、請求項2から4のいずれか1項に記載の寿命診断装置。
- 請求項1から6のいずれか1項に記載の寿命診断装置と、
前記寿命診断装置の診断対象となる半導体装置を有し、入力される電力を変換して出力する主変換回路と、
前記半導体装置を駆動する駆動信号を前記半導体装置に出力する駆動回路と、
前記駆動回路を制御する制御信号を前記駆動回路に出力する制御回路と、を備える電力変換装置。
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