Analysis of the DC-arc behavior of a novel 3D-active fuse

In this work, the DC-arc behavior of an active fuse integrated into a CMOS process is described. The purpose of this fuse is to prevent serious hazards in power electronics in the case of a malfunction of a single power-transistor. The focus of this work is on the characterization of functionality and reliability of the "cutout-bridge". Different cutout-bridge geometries and the DC-arc behavior during fuse release are analyzed. It is shown that a significant increase in release time occurs, when a DC-arc across the cutout-bridge is ignited at voltages above 20V. By integrating a snubber device into the circuit, the DC-arc behavior will be clearly reduced and the release time of the fuse will be decreased significantly

Reliability of monolithic RC-snubbers in MOS-based power modules

The reliability of monolithic integrated 200 V RC-snubbers in silicon is investigated both on wafer and module level. The wafer level measurements indicate that the capacitor dielectric is capable of repetitively withstanding 200 V pulses with a continuous use voltage of 150 V for 46 years with a failure rate of 1 ppm. Potentially early failing devices can be identified on wafer level by a screening test. The RC-snubbers exhibit excellent stability to high temperature and high humidity high temperature based stress tests and to thermal cycling. This makes these devices a promising alternative to discrete surface mounted devices in RC snubber applications for modules in power electronic applications