Design considerations for semiconductor packaging (effects of semiconductor package reliability and life expectancy)

The authors deal with computer-aided system simulation to predict switching and conduction losses to evaluate electrical and thermal stresses on the semiconductors (GTOs) used in PWM inverters. They deal with the semiconductor packages developed primarily for cyclic applications and presents a comparison of the transient thermal impedance of various packaging concepts. In addition, they elaborate upon an easy, serviceable packaging concept, which also eliminates air flow through the enclosure, providing a contamination-free system. These packaging concepts were developed for, and are now used on, Seattle AC drive trolley coaches