A reliable technology concept for active power cycling to extreme temperatures.

We demonstrate that by novel technology concepts, silicon devices can handle electrical power pulses millions of times without failure, although peak temperatures in the silicon reach 350°C during every cycle. This was made possible by a robust trench power MOSFET, and by a very reliable copper-based power-metallization and interconnect concept. Extended experimental investigations, thermal simulations and physical analysis document degradation mechanisms, and show the benefits in comparison to conventional systems.