Active Power Cycling Test

In order to investigate the reliability of power electronic modules related to thermal fatigue, an active power cycling test is regarded as the most important accelerated aging test. Heraeus has the experience in reliability tests as well as active power cycling. This helps you to speed up your development and brings your new products faster to market.

Active Power Cycling

Power Electronic modules are exposed to large thermo-mechanical stress during their lifetime. The stress is further increasing due to continuous changes of the requirements towards smaller die size and larger currents, which leads to higher current densities. Also the trend towards higher operating temmperatures of the die and/or ambient temperatures increase the stress in the system.

Heraeus has the possibility and experience to simulate different boundary conditions of the test setting to simulate the field condition as close as possible. The test settings, like Thermal Interface Material (TIM) are important to control, for they impact also the test results.

The active Power Cycling Test or active temperature cycling test is an accelerated lifetime tes for power electronic devices. In contrast to (passive) temperature cycling test, the devices under test are actively heated by dissipation of electrical energy inside the die and cooled down by a heat sink at constant temperature. Therefore, it is an endurance test in contrast to the passive temperature cycling test, which is an environmental test.

Our experts in our application center offer testing services to help customers to investigate the reliability performance of their products. This helps you to speed up your development and optimize your processes.


ECPE Guideline AQG 324

Heraeus not only offers its expertise in the form of products and services to its customers, but also contributes its knowledge to the European Center for Power Electronics (ECPE) Working Group ´Automotive Power Module Qualification´.

The  ECPE Guideline AQG 324 ´Qualification of Power Modules for Use in Power Electronics Converter Units (PCUs) in Motor Vehicles´ has been released by the responsible ECPE Working Group ´Automotive Power Module Qualification´ comprising more than 30 ECPE member companies from the automotive market.