Online Junction Temperature Measurement for Power MOSFETs Using the Body Diode Under Varying Forward Currents

Xueli Zhu, Yajie Huang (), Donglai Zhang, Yuepeng Zhang, Jun Wu, Bowen Jiang, Linzhong Xia, Bo Gao and Changwei Lv
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Xueli Zhu: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Yajie Huang: Power Electronics and Motion Control Research Center, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Donglai Zhang: Power Electronics and Motion Control Research Center, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Yuepeng Zhang: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Jun Wu: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Bowen Jiang: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Linzhong Xia: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Bo Gao: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China
Changwei Lv: School of Sino-German Robotics, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-22

Abstract: Power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) provide numerous advantages and are widely utilized in various power circuits. The junction temperature plays a critical role in determining the reliability, performance, and operational lifetime of power MOSFETs. Therefore, accurate monitoring of the junction temperature of power MOSFETs is essential to ensure the safe operation of power circuit systems. In bridge or motor drive circuits, MOSFETs often operate in a freewheeling state via the body diode, where the freewheeling current is typically variable. The proposed method for junction temperature measurement utilizes the body diode and is designed to accommodate varying forward currents. It also accounts for the temperature-dependent ideality factor to improve measurement accuracy. By integrating the forward voltage and forward current of the body diode, this approach reduces the required sampling frequency. To validate the method’s effectiveness, three representative types of power MOSFETs, a Si MOSFET (IRF520), a SiC MOSFET (C2M0080120D), and an aerospace-grade radiation-hardened MOSFET (RSCS25045T1RH), were used to measure junction temperatures before and after irradiation. Following ideality factor correction, the maximum absolute error compared to reference measurements from thermocouples and a thermal imager remained within 2 K across the temperature range of 300 K to 420 K. Experimental results confirm the feasibility of the proposed method.

Keywords: MOSFETs; junction temperature; body diode; temperature sensitive electrical parameters (TSEPs); varying forward current; ideality factor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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