Reliability and Performance of Power Electronic Devices

The reliability and performance of power electronic devices underpin modern electrical systems across energy, transport and industrial sectors. These devices, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors and metal–oxide–semiconductor field‐effect transistors, are required to switch power at high frequencies, operate under harsh thermal and mechanical stresses and deliver long service lifetimes. Reliability refers to the probability of a device performing its function without failure over a specified period, while performance encompasses electrical characteristics such as switching speed, conduction losses and thermal impedance. Device failure mechanisms, including solder fatigue, bond-wire degradation and oxide-layer breakdown, arise from cumulative thermo-mechanical stresses, bias temperature instability and manufacturing variances. Mitigating these mechanisms demands an integrated approach combining accurate physics-of-failure modelling, online condition monitoring techniques and mission-profile-based testing. Advances in wide-bandgap semiconductors, alongside machine-learning-informed parameter estimation and non-intrusive diagnostic methods, are enhancing both the reliability and operational efficiency of the next generation of power converters. The global imperative for decarbonisation and electrification, notably in renewable energy integration and electric vehicles, places further emphasis on device robustness, predictive maintenance and fault-tolerant converter architectures.

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Reliability and Performance of Power Electronic Devices publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in reliability and performance of power electronic devices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT): A semiconductor device combining the high input impedance of a MOS gate with the low saturation voltage of a bipolar transistor, widely used for high-power switching applications.

Junction temperature: The internal temperature at the semiconductor’s p–n junction, critical to device performance and failure rate under power cycling.

Condition monitoring: Techniques for tracking the health and degradation of components through measurement of electrical, thermal or mechanical parameters.

DC-link capacitor: Energy‐storage component in power converters that smooths voltage ripple and balances power flow between stages.

Wide-bandgap semiconductor: Material such as silicon carbide or gallium nitride offering superior thermal, electrical and switching performance over silicon.

References

1. Degradation state analysis of the IGBT module based on apparent junction temperature. Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems (2023).
2. An Overview of Condition Monitoring Techniques for Capacitors in DC-Link Applications. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2020).
3. Power Electronics Reliability: State of the Art and Outlook. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics (2020).
4. Parameter Estimation of Power Electronic Converters With Physics-Informed Machine Learning. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2022).
5. A Novel Non-Intrusive Technique for BTI Characterization in SiC mosfets. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2019).