Power Electronics: Packaging, Reliability and Failure Analysis
The School of Engineering's Power Electronics Reliability and Failure Analysis Facility hosts a suite of externally-available equipment that provides advanced testing and analysis to evaluate the durability, performance and lifetime of power electronic devices and systems under real-world operating conditions. Many of the tools were funded via Innovate UK's Driving the Electric Revolution (DER) programme.
The facility is closely linked to the Power Electronics Applications and Technology in Energy Research (PEATER) Group, a world-class centre for research into power electronics, power semiconductor devices and applications in power systems and power conversion.
Our core equipment is detailed below. Please contact Claire Gerard () to discuss your testing requirements.
High-Precision Die Bonder
The FINEPLACER® lambda 2 from Finetech is a high-precision die bonder enabling sub-micron placement of SiC and GaN devices. It supports adhesive, soldering, thermocompression, and ultrasonic bonding with precise force and temperature control, for prototyping, process development, and scalable manufacturing.
Decapsulation System
The JetEtch Pro enables controlled chemical decapsulation of semiconductor packages using programmable acid etching. It provides precise control of temperature, flow, and acid composition to expose device structures for failure analysis, inspection, and reliability investigations.
Scanning Acoustic Microscope
The AMI D9650Z from Nordson enables non-destructive inspection of semiconductor devices using acoustic imaging. It detects internal defects such as voids, delamination, and bond integrity in power modules, supporting failure analysis, process development, and quality control.
Digital Microscope
The Keyence VHX-970F enables high-resolution imaging with 3D surface reconstruction and extended depth-of-field. Equipped with lenses covering 20×–1000× magnification, it provides sub-micron resolution and non-contact measurement for detailed surface characterisation.
Large Wire Bonder
The Orthodyne Model 20 is a manual ultrasonic wedge bonder for aluminium wires (4–20 mil) used in power devices. It enables reliable high-current interconnections with precise control of bonding parameters, supporting assembly, prototyping, and evaluation of power semiconductor packages.
Reflow Oven
The SRO 704 enables controlled thermal processing up to ~400 °C, with programmable temperature, nitrogen flow, vacuum, compressed air, and formic acid atmosphere. It supports soldering and silver sintering, providing uniform heating for die attach, packaging, and prototyping of power electronic devices.
Bond Shear & Pull Tester
The Nordson DAGE Stellar 4000 enables shear and pull testing of semiconductor interconnections, with forces up to 100 kg (shear) and 10 kg (pull). It features an XY stage with 100 × 100 mm travel. It provides controlled force application and precise measurement for evaluating bond strength and interconnect reliability in power devices.
Power Semiconductor Characterisation Systems
The ipTEST M2 system enables high-accuracy static characterisation of power semiconductor devices, with voltage up to 3 kV and current up to 400 A. It supports off-state, on-state, and gate parameter testing with 0.1% measurement accuracy for detailed evaluation of Si, SiC, and GaN devices.
Power Semiconductor Characterisation Systems
The ipTEST M2 DS6 Pulsar enables high-current dynamic switching and short-circuit testing of power semiconductor devices up to 7.5 kA. With low parasitic inductance (20–40 nH) and high di/dt capability, it provides accurate characterisation of switching behaviour, device ruggedness, and failure mechanisms in SiC and other wide-bandgap devices.
Infrared Thermal Cameras
The FLIR ThermoVision A20M and FLIR X6901sc enable non-contact temperature measurement of power devices. The A20M supports steady-state monitoring (50/60Hz), while the X6901sc captures thermal transients at up to 1000 FPS, with a temperature range of approximately −20 °C to 3000 °C for detailed thermal characterisation.
Temperature & Humidity Test Chamber
The ARS-0680-15-E enables controlled environmental testing of power devices under extreme temperature and humidity conditions. It supports rapid thermal cycling (up to 15 K/min) over a wide range (−70 to +180 °C, 10–98% RH) for reliability and lifetime evaluation.
Power Cycling Tester
The Simcenter Micred Power Tester PWT 1800A 12C 12V from Siemens enables automated power cycling and thermal transient testing of power devices. It supports lifetime assessment with real-time failure diagnosis, identifying degradation mechanisms in SiC and GaN modules under accelerated stress conditions.
Thermal Shock Test Chamber
The TSE-12-A enables rapid thermal cycling between −65 °C and +200 °C to evaluate reliability of power devices under extreme temperature transitions. It provides uniform thermal stress with fast temperature recovery (<5 min), supporting accelerated lifetime testing and qualification in accordance with international standards.
Benchtop Temperature & Humidity Chamber
The TH-50C enables controlled environmental testing over a wide temperature range (−70 °C to +180 °C) and humidity (20–98% RH). It supports thermal cycling, damp heat testing, and environmental conditioning of power devices, enabling reliability evaluation under realistic operating and storage conditions.
Benchtop Temperature Test Chamber
The Tenney Junior (TJR) enables controlled environmental testing over a wide temperature range (−75 °C to +200 °C) with high stability (±1 °C). It supports thermal cycling, conditioning, and reliability evaluation of power devices under controlled and repeatable temperature stress conditions.
FBG Interrogation Systems
The SmartScan and SGTR1002 enable high-speed, multi-channel interrogation of fibre Bragg grating sensors, with sampling rates up to 10 kHz and sub-picometre resolution. They support distributed temperature and strain measurement for real-time, in-situ monitoring of power devices under thermal and electrical stress.
Electrical Safety Analyser
The RSST-2003 enables automated insulation qualification and safety testing in accordance with AQG-324. It supports dielectric testing up to 5 kV AC and 6 kV DC, continuity testing at 100 mA, and insulation resistance measurement up to 50 GΩ for high-voltage power devices.
Double Pulse & Short-Circuit Test System
A custom-built test platform enabling double pulse, short-circuit, and unclamped inductive switching (UIS) testing of power devices up to 3.3 kV, 500 A (DPT), and 6 kA (short-circuit). Developed in-house with a custom GUI, it supports automated, user-configurable testing for dynamic characterisation and robustness evaluation of SiC devices.
Power Converter Test Platform
A custom-built half-bridge inverter test rig rated up to 500 V / 400 A, enabling system-level evaluation of power converters under realistic operating and cooling conditions. Integrated with a PLECS RT Box for real-time control and hardware-in-the-loop testing, it supports rapid prototyping, validation, and performance optimisation.
Back-to-Back Inverter Test Platform
A custom-built hardware-in-the-loop test platform for end-of-line testing of inverters under current load, using EV-like drive cycle emulation. The system integrates a DC power supply, Si IGBT and SiC MOSFET-based inverters, a three-phase inductor, flow-controlled cooling, thermostat chamber, and dSPACE-based PWM control to support realistic inverter validation and performance assessment.
HTRB & HTGB Reliability Test Systems
Custom-built high-temperature reverse bias (HTRB) and high-temperature gate bias (HTGB) test rigs for long-term reliability evaluation of power semiconductor devices. Developed in-house with a custom GUI, they enable controlled high-voltage and temperature stress testing. A flexible switching matrix supports biasing and reconfiguration of up to five DUTs, with microcontroller or SMU control and external voltage integration for gate and high-voltage bias.