Experimental verification of semiconductor diode aging based on thermal analyzes and numerical methods

Abstract

Many electronic systems, such as computers and telephones, have a short service life, typically between two and five years. However, there are applications such as cars or airplanes that can have service life of 15 years or more. While product maintenance is usually practiced for mechanical components, it is difficult to find information in the technical literature as to whether the maintenance of electronic circuits can be justified in the case of very long-term use and whether it is possible at all. The approach to the behavior of components during failure is the closest to describing the "life time of electronic products." The described product life models are useful in cases where this life is limited by predictable physical mechanisms. These models perform well, for example, for solder joint fatigue caused by thermal cycling. This article describes an experimental verification of the aging of semiconductor diodes in order to determine their technical condition and current characteristics after 15 years of use. The obtained results of experimental research were compared with those from numerical simulations. On the basis of the obtained data, it was determined whether the aging process of the analyzed components takes place and how it affects their operation. Numerical models were created on the basis of the Coffin-Manson and Arrhenius equations.