In this paper a systematic approach is presented for extrapolating the life
time due to bond wire lift-off in IGBT modules submitted to cyclic loading,
Application profiles of the device are considered, as they are usually enc
ountered in real current converters for railway traction systems. The propo
sed lifetime prediction scheme is based on the principle of the linear accu
mulation of the fatigue damage and takes into account the redundancy of the
bond wires. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.