IGBT collector-emitter failure mechanism

Collector-Emitter breakdown voltage failure of IGBT can be caused by leakage characteristic or solely reverse blocking voltage issue. The involvement of potential defect could be located near the front side, where the main transistor construction located (the top side), chip temination edge and down to the backside where the fieldstop layer takes place. This paper basically outlined the failure mechanisms based on the Current-Voltage characteristic and they were then visualized through the physical analyses, and they were proven from the failure analyses findings.