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The Simcenter POWERTESTER range of products combine active power cycling tests with thermal transient measurements, allowing users to understand the failure mechanisms of power electronics components during a lifetime test. Each system supports standard thermal transient testing as well, at elevated power levels.

To meet the powering requirements of various industries and applications, our team has created a range of systems starting from 500A output all the way up to a combined powering capability of 3600A. We offer the test of multiple devices from 3 to 16 depending on the configuration. The systems are also available with and without cold-plate solutions, depending on the cooling requirements of the power modules to be tested.

Each system is equipped with a touch screen and runs a software which was engineered to resemble the most common thermal testing and power cycling workflows. The operation of the software is easy to learn as it is set to guide our users through the most important settings.

Compared to many cycling systems used in the industry the Simcenter POWERTESTER line of products offers the advantage that it is capable of providing its nominal current (even up to 3600A) for extended times, allowing tests in the several minutes range without any further concern. This way not only PCSec, but PCmin cycling strategies are supported. 

Connecting the Simcenter POWERTESTER to a local area network the test process can be monitored on any browser enabled device connected to the same network. Power cycling tests may take a long time, even up to the range of several weeks, this feature allows remote monitoring of the test progress with ease.

As each system is designed for autonomous operation, Simcenter POWERTESTERs are equipped with safety sensors, monitoring potential smoke, coolant leakage, over temperature, etc. An exception is the 2400A system, which allows tests to be carried out in customer specific environments, therefore instead of pre-mounted sensors, our team provides sensor inputs to comply with the safety requirements of user laboratories.

In case of a potential power outage, each system will switch to a built-in UPS, which is not enough to continue the power cycling, however it gives the Simcenter POWERTESTER enough time to save all the test data recorded before the time of the event in a safe way, making sure no data loss will happen.

A range of modules and discrete power semiconductor devices can be tested by our systems. Diodes, MOSFET-s and IGBT devices are supported in multiple operating modes. The systems are prepared for testing SiC devices as well.

Each Simcenter POWERTESTER offers a range of power cycling test strategies. It is possible to set up a constant current level which will be maintained all along the cycling process, or our users can choose among constant junction temperature change or constant case temperature change controlled cycling modes, where the system will automatically adjust the cycling current to meet the desired criteria. The power cycling tester offers AQG-324 compliant operation, to meet automotive test requirements.

Simcenter POWERTESTER offer high-precision monitoring of possible failure parameters. Junction temperature change, maximum junction temperature, device Voltage at cycling current, gate leakage current, dynamic thermal resistance data and more are available at each and every cycle to monitor the health of the components. Changes in the junction temperature or device Voltage may indicate degradation of structural elements or electrical interconnects, which the system can detect and can help analyse.

The captured data can be viewed during the cycling session on the touch screen, on a remote device or even exported to a csv format for analysis in third party software.

Setting up the tests is simple and can be achieved without in-depth electrical/thermal engineering knowledge. Our team can provide dedicated trainings on demand, where thanks to the well thought interface and the simplicity of the connections we can teach all features of the systems in a day.

The combination of thermal transient measurements and active power cycling provides a true, unique advantage: the system can monitor changes in the thermal stack of the packages periodically, giving clear information on the thermal impact of structural changes during the cycling process. This is achieved by transforming the thermal transient responses to structure functions, which will provide a thermal map of the heat flow from the semiconductor junction to the ambient. Should any change happen in the stack, structure functions will reveal it, help point out the location or locations of the issues and their exact effect on the devices’ thermal resistance.