POWER SEMICONDUCTOR MODULE, POWER CONVERTER EMPLOYING IT AND MOBILE UNIT

摘要

A power semiconductor module employing a small semiconductor element capable of detecting deterioration accurately at a metal joint, and a power converter and a mobile unit employing it. Surface electrode of a power semiconductor element (2) and a metal plate (3) for the electrode are metal-jointed by means of a metal wire (8). A joint characteristics detecting circuit (20) detects the characteristics at the metal joint and predicts deterioration at the metal joint using a threshold value VL determined from the relation between the increase of resistance RT8 due to deterioration at the joint and the lifetime.