Nondestuctive Tester aids in imaging IGBT power modules.
Press Release Summary:
Nondestructive D9600Z C-SAM® system facilitates IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) power module imaging. WaterPlume™ transducer scans through heat sink from bottom of module. Ultrasound pulsed into heat sink will also image ceramic plates (rafts) above heat sink as well as die attachments near top of module. Along with option for 2 transducers that operate simultaneously to accelerate imaging, features include stage with various plates for IGBTs and fully automated operation.
Original Press Release:
Power Modules Get Their Own Upside-Down C-SAM® System
Elk Grove Village, IL -- Sonoscan has shipped the first of its new D9600Z C-SAM® systems. This new model is designed expressly to facilitate the imaging of IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) power modules.
Power modules, such as IGBTs, are basically high-speed high-power switches used in railway engines, electric automobiles, and many other applications involving high power. Prior to packaging the transistors themselves are at the top of the module and are too susceptible to water contact to permit acoustic imaging from above.
Sonoscan has developed a WaterPlume™ transducer that scans through the heat sink from the bottom of the module. Ultrasound pulsed into the heat sink will also image ceramic plates (rafts) above the heat sink, and even the die attachments near the top of the module.
To speed imaging, the D9600Z has an option for two transducers that operate simultaneously. Each transducer is coupled with the surface of the heat sink by a constant stream of upward-flowing water that touches only the heat sink. Air knives built into the system dry the heat sink after scanning.
The stage of the D9600Z is supplied with various plates designed to hold common IGBT module configurations. The operation is fully automated: the operator places the module on the stage, closes the door, and pushes a button.
The targets of interest include voids in the solder above the heat sink, the flatness of ceramic plates, and voids in the die attach material. The system can also measure and map the thickness of the solder layer during scanning.
The D9600Z is a quick, nondestructive tool to analyze IGBT power modules, which are typically costly and destined for critical applications.
Sonoscan, Inc., 2149 E. Pratt Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. Phone 847 437-6400; Contact person: Bill Zuckerman, x237; email bzuckerman@sonoscan.com; web www.sonoscan.com.
About Sonoscan®: Sonoscan is the leading developer and manufacturer of acoustic microscopes and sophisticated acoustic micro imaging systems, widely used for nondestructive analysis of defects in industrial products and semiconductor devices. For over 30 years, Sonoscan’s attention to customer needs and investment in R&D has created systems that set industry standards for speed and accuracy. Key products include C-SAM® systems for off-line and laboratory analysis and FACTS2™ for automated production inspection.
Through its SonoLab division Sonoscan applications engineers, with experience totaling more than two centuries in acoustic microscopy, assist hundreds of customers annually in solving materials problems and quality control issues. SonoLab operates applications testing laboratories in multiple global locations to serve the inspection needs of customers that do not have their own capability.
