Instabilities in Silicon Power Devices: A Review of Failure Mechanisms in Modern Power Devices

In the last 15 years, the global demand for power saving, efficiency, and weight, size, and cost reduction in both the consumer and the industrial fields have strongly pushed the research and advancements in electronic power systems. Today, electronic power systems cover nearly the full voltage range (from volts to megavolts) and almost the full power range, if we exclude gigawatt-rated power plants. The applications include:smart grids . distributed power systems . photovoltaic (PV)/wind power stations . transportation (heavy/light traction, automotive, avionics, etc.) . industry applications (motor drives, arc welding, etc.) . consumer electronics (switch-mode power supplies, household appliances, etc.).