Lumped parameter modeling for thermal characterization of high-power modules

Power electronic modules are realized by integrating several semiconductor chips inside one package. In this paper, a new thermal modeling procedure and its application to a power electronic module are presented. The adopted modeling strategy consists of the derivation of numerical thermal impedances by 3-D finite element models, validated by comparison with available experimental data, and of the coefficients identification of the RC passive network, through a specific topology, here introduced, to obtain a lumped parameter model of the thermal behavior of the module.