ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
ECPE Guideline AQG 324
Qualification of Power Modules for Use in Power Electronics
Converter Units in Motor Vehicles
Release no.:
Release date:
Contact:
02.1/2019
15.05.2019
ECPE European Center for Power Electronics e.V.
Dipl.-Phys. Thomas Harder
Landgrabenstrasse 94
90443 Nuremberg, Germany
Email thomas.harder@ecpe.org
Phone (+49) 911 8102 880
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
Preface
This Guideline was prepared by the ECPE Working Group ´Automotive Power Module
Qualification´ comprising ECPE member companies active in the automotive market.
The original version is based on the supply specification LV 324 which has been
developed by German automotive OEMs together with representatives from the power
electronics supplier industry in a joint working group of ECPE and the German ZVEI
association.
The industrial standards referenced in this document have consciously been selected in
the specific versions or release years. This means they represent the technical state of
the art of the industry, which was not prepared for automotive applications, but has
been deemed suitable with regard to automotive applications. In particular, this avoids
automotive-relevant details being omitted during revisions with a focus on non-
automotive applications.
The official version of the Guideline released by the ECPE Working Group is a public
document available on the ECPE web site (www.ecpe.org).
Legal disclaimer
No liability shall attach to ECPE e.V. or its directors, employees, member organizations
or members of the responsible ECPE working group for any personal injury, property
damage or other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for
costs (including legal fees) and expenses arising out of the publication of, use of, or
reliance upon, this ECPE Guideline or any other ECPE publications.
ECPE guidelines and publications are adopted without regard to whether or not their
adoption may involve patents or articles, materials, or processes. By such action ECPE
does not assume any liability to any patent owner, nor does it assume any obligation
whatever to parties adopting the ECPE guidelines or publications.
The ECPE Guideline AQG 324 is owned by ECPE European Center for Power
Electronics e.V.
This ECPE Guideline AQG 324 is licensed under a Creative Commons license
(license model CC BY ND) - with credit and sharing under the same conditions.
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
Modifications compared to AQG 324 Version V01.05 dated 12.04.2018 (tracking of
changes)
Chapter
Modification (compared to AQG 324 Version V01.05)
cover page
- abbreviation ´(PCU)´ removed from title
- replace ´Version no.´ by ´Release no.´
1
3
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
5.1
6.1.7
6.1.9
- add preamble (background and spirit of AQG 324)
- modifications in scope (for clarification)
- list of standards updated and complemented, German DIN standards
mostly replaced by IEC
- add a definition of ´Power Electronics Control Unit (PCU)´ in 4.1.1
and renumber the following sub-chapters
- chapter headline modified in ´Abbreviations - general´
- table 4.1 headline modified
- electrical and thermal abbreviations moved to table 4.2 resp. 4.3
- chapter headline modified in ´Abbreviations - electrical parameters´
- table 4.2 headline modified
- further electrical abbreviations added in table 4.2 (VGE,min , ICE,max ,
VGS,min , IDS,max , VR,max , VBR,R , IR,max , Lp , Ri)
- abbreviations in table 4.2 renamed: VS => VR , IS,leak => IR,leak , PV => PL
- chapter headline modified in ´Abbreviations - thermal parameters´
- table 4.3 headline modified
- further thermal abbreviations added (Qcool , Rth,j-c , Rth,j-s , Rth,j-a , Rth,j-f)
- chapter headline modified in ´Abbreviations - humidity´
- chapter headline modified in ´Test times´
- 1st paragraph modified (automotive maturity of the power semi-
conductors used within the module to be shown by a chip technology
qualification)
- sentence in 1st paragraph deleted
- chapter on breakdown voltage added (new)
- add ´on module level´ in the 1st sentence of chapter 6.1.9
6.1.10
- chapter renumbered (formerly 6.1.9)
6
7.3.2
8.3
8.4.2
- footnote e) added in table 6.1
- correct translation error in short circuit type 2: replace ´at the latest´ by
´at the earliest´
- Replace the chapter text by ´Withdrawn for the time being´
- caption of figure 8.2 modified: ´Vibration profile, sinusoidal for
combustion engine-mounted parts´
9.2.2
- Power Cycling (PCsec): modification in text related to
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
9.3.2
IEC 60749-34:2011, section 5: Test procedure
- table 9.1 modified (incl. footnotes)
- Power cycling (PCmin): modification in text related to
IEC 60749-34:2011, section 5: Test procedure
- table 9.4 modified (incl. footnotes)
9.4.2
- High-temperature storage: footnote in table 9.7 modified
9.4.3, 9.5.3,
9.6.3, 9.7.3,
9.8.3
- modification of the repeated text block on requirements:
The 1st sentence is changed to ´The data sheet parameters …´ and
shifted to the end of the paragraph.
9.5.2
9.6.1
9.6.2
9.7.2
- Low-temperature storage: footnote in table 9.8 modified
- HTRB: text modified (e.g. one sentence deleted)
- HTRB: text modified (e.g. referenced standards added, notes added,
last two bullets in ´Failure criterion´ deleted)
- table 9.9 modified (incl. footnotes)
- HTGB: text modified (e.g. referenced standard added, last bullet in
´Failure criterion´ deleted)
- table 9.10 modified (incl. footnotes)
9.7.2.1
- headline with chapter number deleted
9.8.2
- H3TRB: text modified (e.g. referenced standards added, note added,
last bullet in ´Set of data records´ on corrosive gas atmosphere and the
following note deleted, last bullets in ´Failure criterion´ deleted)
- table 9.11 modified (incl. footnotes): introduction of two test variants
with 80V and 80% of VCE,max, VDS,max, VR,max. with a footnote
´Recommended for SiC´ for the 80% variant.
9.8.2.1
- headline with chapter number deleted
- last paragraph deleted (drying of DUTs by heating process is not
permitted)
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
Contents
Scope
Overview
Referenced standards
Terms and definitions
Definitions
Abbreviations - general
Abbreviations - electrical parameters
Abbreviations - thermal parameters
Abbreviations - humidity
Test times
Standard tolerances
Standard values
7
9
11
12
12
14
15
16
17
17
18
18
19
General part
19
Prerequisites for chip usage in the module
Technology qualification
19
Qualification of special designs (of power el. modules) based on discrete devices 20
20
Sampling rates and measured value resolutions
20
Design of insulation properties
21
Interface description
Physical analysis
21
21
Procedure limitations
Module test
QM – 01 Module test
Characterizing module testing
QC-01 Determining parasitic stray inductance (Lp)
QC-02 Determining thermal resistance (Rth value)
QC-03 Determining short-circuit capability
QC-04 Insulation test
QC-05 Determining mechanical data
Test sequence
Environmental testing
Use of generic data
QE-01 Thermal shock test (TST)
QE-02 Contactability (CO)
QE-03 Vibration (V)
QE-04 Mechanical shock (MS)
Lifetime testing
Use of generic data
QL-01 Power cycling (PCsec)
QL-02 Power cycle (PCmin)
QL-03 High-temperature storage (HTS)
QL-04 Low-temperature storage (LTS)
QL-05 High-temperature reverse bias (HTRB)
QL-06 High-temperature gate bias (HTGB)
QL-07 High-humidity, high-temperature reverse bias (H3TRB)
22
22
26
26
26
29
32
34
35
36
36
36
38
38
44
46
46
46
51
56
57
58
60
61
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1
2
3
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
6
6.1
7
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
8
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
9
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
9.8
ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Annex A Test flow chart (normative)
Annex B Delta qualification matrix (normative)
Annex C Documentation of tests (normative)
Annex D References (informative)
Annex E Typical aspects for physical analysis (informative)
Release 02.1/2019
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
1 Scope
Preamble
The AQG324 represents an industry guideline based on best practices and outstanding
requirement engineering alignment through the automotive supply chain for power
electronic converter units. It also acts as blueprint for further approaches within the
automotive transformation to overcome innovation blocking hurdles and to close gaps in
product capability or corresponding assurance processes.
With the continuously increasing complexity of automotive electronics systems it is
necessary to combine the expertise and to standardize approaches along the whole
supply chain – different to outdated approaches where the alignment primarily occurred
within a design hierarchical level, rather than from a complete system perspective.
Consequently, a core achievement has been and still is to define the same technical
language as was only possible through jointly define and tune terms, definitions and
processes.
This document defines requirements, test conditions and tests for validating properties,
including the lifetime of power electronics modules and equivalent special designs
based on discrete devices, for use in power electronics converter units (PCUs) of motor
vehicles up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight
The described tests concern the module design as well as the qualification of devices
on module level (i.e. the assembly), but not the qualification of semiconductor chips or
manufacturing processes.
These tests do not replace the qualification tests for complete vehicle PCUs.
The qualification requirements shall be extended or adapted, as necessary, on use of
technologically novel designs.
The requirements, test conditions and tests listed in this document essentially refer to
power modules based on Si power semiconductors while wide bandgap power
semiconductors (e.g. SiC or GaN) are not yet fully covered. Future releases of this
guideline will address these alternative semiconductor technologies, as well as novel
assembly and interconnection technologies where other failure mechanisms become
important compared to the todays technologies.
The tests listed in this document also apply for validating power module properties when
using a thermal interface between the power module and the cooling system on PCU-
level, if this interface is not a part of the module structure as a result of the design.
Corresponding tests must be conducted on a reference test setup recommended and
documented by the module manufacturer, and any equivalent/generic test setups must
be specified and documented.
Note:
If the thermal interface to the cooling system is implemented in the PCU and not in the
power module, the module manufacturer cannot validate this interface. However, the
module manufacturer must demonstrate
the module
qualification in case of a connection as per the specification (recommended reference
that his module passes
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ECPE Guideline
AQG 324
Release 02.1/2019
test setups). The PCU manufacturer must ensure that the thermal interface selected by
it complies with the specifications from the module manufacturer.
Example:
Validation of the thermal interface of power electronics modules, which are applied to a
heat sink using a thermal interface material (TIM), is considered through specified
reference test setups (including materials) in this document.
Validation of the thermal interface of power electronics modules with a pin-fin base plate
located directly in the cooling medium is considered in this document.
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