X-POWER - The danish power electronics reliability test facilities

X-POWER is a network of leading testing facilities for Reliability in Power Electronic components and systems.

X-POWER - The danish power electronics reliability test facilities

X-POWER is a network of leading testing facilities for Reliability in Power Electronic components and systems.

X-POWER mission is to support fundamental research as well as applied research in the field of reliability of power electronics. The idea is to provide Danish and international industries a unique solution for testing from power electronic device to complicated systems.

Services basically comprise:

Development/supply of samples to be tested
A large portfolio of testing and stressing facilities for components and system, including load, temperature, humidity, chemical agents and vibration
Post-test analysis, both in the case of failure and in the case the tested component/system still is able to operate

About X-POWER

X-POWER aims to integrate and operate the following facilities in a 5 years period (2019-2023):

Packaging facilities to make power modules and e.g. test new component technologies for parallel power chips. Device packaging is one of the limiting factors of power electronics module lifetime and this will mean competition among power converter manufacturers.
Characterizing power semiconductor devices and passive components for losses with high accuracy both in terms of switching, conduction, blocking as well as in abnormal modes. It is important to be able to have a certain number of setups in order to have enough numbers to be able to take into account statistical variation.
Test systems for the most dominating reliability stressors like temperature, humidity, dust and vibration on components like Diodes, MOSFETs, IGBTs (also in modules), capacitors, inductors, transformers, print-circuit boards. Wide Bandgap Devices are switching very fast and make new test very challenging. Very fast equipment is needed here in order to do appropriate testing. Multiple systems are needed here too in order to have statistical variations.
Develop mission-profile-oriented test systems (Photovoltaic, fuel cell, wind turbine, motor drives, power supply hardware simulators) in order better to emulate different mission profiles on the systems and assess the designs incl. the models used.
Develop Multiple Environmental Stressor Test Systems (MEOST) for testing power electronic systems (Humidity, electricity, vibration and moisture).
Facilities for fabrication and also test of semiconductor device elements (up to 2 kA and 10 kV as well as temperature between – 50 °C and 275 °C).
Equipment for abnormal condition testing both at device and system level (over-temperature, overvoltage, short circuit, etc.).
Equipment for EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) tests on very fast devices (i.e. Wide Bandgap ones).
Post failure analysis of components and systems, which have been failing or after need to be investigated after some stress – that includes many materials analysis equipment.
Experimental setups to test innovative design-for-reliability techniques, like advanced gate drivers, cooling systems, which are very important for Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices, programmed de-rating systems, etc.
Develop customized testing setups (if applicable) to move forward the state-of-the-arts and establish unique competitiveness in Denmark.

Develop various user-friendly testing control interfaces and testing protocols, aim to be one of the leading players in the long-term to have impact on national and international reliability testing standards for power electronics.