A study of the effect of degradation of the aluminium metallization layer in the case of power semiconductor devices

The paper describes ageing mechanisms of the metallization layer deposited on the chips of power semiconductor devices, and the effects of its ageing on electrical performances of a power transistor. We have tried to link changes in electrical performances to metallization degradation, in order to better understand the origin of the physical mechanisms of ageing and the effects of the degradation of the metallization on electrical performances of tested devices.