EPC issues Phase-16 Reliability Report

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA — which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications — has issued its Phase-16 Reliability Report, documenting continued work using test-to-fail methodology and adding specific guidelines for overvoltage specifications and improving thermo-mechanical reliability.

Compared with the Phase-15 Reliability Report, this version presents expanded data and analysis. It now includes a general overview of the wear-out mechanisms of primary concerns for a given application. New to this version of the report is a description of how to forecast the reliability of a system in a realistic mission profile that combines periods of substantial and minor stress.

Adding to the existing knowledge base, this report includes significant new material on the thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms and overvoltage guidelines. Thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms include a study of the impact of die size and bump shape on temperature cycling (TC) reliability. This report also includes a study of overvoltage robustness for both the gate and the drain of GaN transistors.

The report is divided into the following sections:

Section 1: Determining wear-out mechanisms using test-to-fail methodology;
Section 2: Using test-to-fail results to predict device lifetime in a system;
Section 3: Wear-out mechanisms;
Section 4: Mission-specific reliability predictions including solar, DC–DC, and light detection & ranging (LiDAR) applications;
Section 5: Summary and conclusions;
Appendix: Solder stencil design rules for reliable assembly of PQFN packaged devices.

“The release of our Phase-16 report satisfies a critical need for ongoing research into GaN device reliability,” says CEO & co-founder Dr Alex Lidow. “This report provides valuable insights on mission robustness, ensuring devices meet the demands of diverse applications.”