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DepTH-Lab

Drapeau Région Occitanie

The Depth-Lab research platform benefited from a financial participation of the Occitanie region in the framework of the Regional Research and Innovation Platforms calls for tender.

Objectives of the platform

Research platform for measuring the temperatures of components/modules/PCB critical points and for the characterization of innovative cooling technologies in controlled environments.

Platform of thermal management in electronic systems at the interface between power module packaging including Wide Band Gap semiconductors and thermal control technologies more generally in the field of Electrical Engineering.

Perimeter

Electronic Packaging, Wide Band Gap Components, Power Modules, Inverters/Equipment, PCBs with embedded dies, electric wires, electric connectors, etc.

Technologies of thermal control: air and liquid heatsinks, two-phase systems (LHP, etc,), ALM (Additive Layer Manufacturing) heat exchangers, DCJ, etc.

Application Domain: More Electric Aircraft, Electric and Hybrid vehicles, railways, etc.

Activities of the platform

  • Test benches design in controlled environments.
  • Junction temperatures measurements of Si & WBG(SiC & GaN) components.
  • Thermal measurements (TC, optical fibers, etc.).
  • Fluid measurements: flow rate, pressure drop.

Icam in the context of collaborative projects performs 1D/2D/3D thermo-fluid modeling and simulation for the comparison between experimental & simulation results in order to increase maturity level of technologies (cf. projects IPCEI PWEVTF, RECET4RAIL, GaNRET, COMOSIC, SICRET+, etc.).

The experimental aspects of collaborative projects are carried out on the DepTH lab platform.

Test benches

The platform is equipped with numerous benches :

Skills on the platform

  • Fradin Jean-Pierre : Head of Rechearch, Icam project manager on many research projects, expert in thermal management of electronic systems for 30 years
  • Batikh Ahmad: Lecturer, Associate researcher at ICA, specialist in Fluid Mechanics
  • Castelan Anne : Lecturer, Associate researcher at LAPLACE, specialist in thermal management of electronics systems,
  • Sanchez Sébastien: Lecturer, Associated researcher at LAPLACE, specialist in Power Electronics,
  • Regnier Sophie: Lecturer, specialist in material science
  • Vouriot Jean-Marc: professor in industrial engineering, specialist in conception and CAD
  • Dezalay Alexandre: Research technician, specialized in metrology
  • Marie Alexandre: Research engineer, specialized in thermal management
  • Gomez Louis-Alexis: Researcher engineer, specialist in Power Electronics
  • Vancamelbecke Johann: Research technician

Publications (since 2020)

  • SANCHEZ, S., NGUYEN, C., CADILE, C., FRADIN, JP., TOUNSI, P., REYNES, JM. (2020). Electrothermal Characterization of Double-Sided Cooling Si Power Module. In: Zamboni, W., Petrone, G. (eds) ELECTRIMACS 2019. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 615. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37161-6_5
  • NGUYEN, Quang Chuc, TOUNSI, Patrick, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, et al. Investigation on the use of the MOSFET SiC body diode for junction temperature measurement. In : IEEE THERMINIC 2020. 2020.
  • CASSOU, Anaïs, NGUYEN, Quang Chuc, TOUNSI, Patrick, FRADIN Jean-Pierre, et al. Extraction of compact transient thermal models for a global optimization of a power system based on SiC MOSFETs switches. In : 26th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC 2020). IEEE, 2020.
  • FAVRE, J., IZOULET A., FRADDIN, JP, COCCETI F, Competitive implementation of a high value power module assembly line in a high cost country, SIA POWERTRAIN & POWER ELECTRONICS // Digital Edition 2021
  • BATIKH, Ahmad, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, et MORENO, Antonio Castro. Additively manufactured lattice structure heat sink for railway power electronics liquid cooling. In : Therminic 2022: 28th International workshop on thermal investigations of ics and systems. 2022.
  • HÉLIE, Jérôme, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, & PISCAGLIA, Federico, Thermal challenges of Wide Band Gap power electronics component in electrical vehicle. In 2022, SIA CESA 2022, Automotive Electronics.
  • KABWANGALA, Tychique Nzalalemba, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, ARIBA, Yassine, et al. Observer based junction temperature estimation: 3D simulations and experimentations. In : 2023 29th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC). IEEE, 2023. p. 1-6.
  • BATIKH, Ahmad, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, et MORENO, Antonio Castro. The Impact of Additively Fabricated lattice Geometry on Liquid-Cooling Heat sink Performance for Railway Applications. In : 2023 29th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC). IEEE, 2023. p. 1-5.
  • ALAUZET Louis, FRADIN Jean-Pierre, TOUNSI Patrick. Improvement of a thermal Impedance Analysis bench to determine physical defects of an innovative power module. In : 2023, 16th European Advanced Technology Workshop on Micropackaging and Thermal management
  • MARIE Alexandre, FRADIN Jean-Pierre, ALLIRAND Laurence, AUSSEL Michel,HAMELIN Pierre-Yves, Assessment of embedded GaN HEMT junction temperature measurement accuracy. In : 2023, 16th European Advanced Technology Workshop on Micropackaging and Thermal management
  • MARIE Alexandre , FRADIN Jean-Pierre, FARDEL Yves, THOMASSE David, Caractérisation de résistances thermiques locales liées à des assemblages de câbles et connecteurs électriques de forte puissance. In 31ème Congrès Français de Thermique – 30 mai au 2 juin 2023/Reims
  • FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, BATIKH, Ahmad, et MORENO, Antonio Castro, Optimisation Of Lattice Structure Heat Sink Design For Railway Power Module Liquid Cooling. In : 2024, 17th European Advanced Technology Workshop on Micropackaging and Thermal management
  • HÉLIE, Jérôme, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, MARIE Alexandre, The Cooling As A Central Parameter For Affordable On-Board Charger The Pia-Chpa Project Case Study. In : 2024, 17th European Advanced Technology Workshop on Micropackaging and Thermal management
  • MARIE Alexandre, FRADIN, Jean-Pierre, FARDEL Yves, THOMASSE David, Characterization of local thermal resistances along electrical harnesses connectors, In MEA 2024: International Conference on More Electric Aircraft Towards greener aviation, Toulouse, February 7-8, 2024
  • MARIE Alexandre, CASTELLANOS TAITA Maria Alejandra, VIEILLEFOSSE Benjamin, FABRE Joseph, LADOUX Philippe, FRADIN Jean-Pierre, Thermal Characterization Of An Air-Cooled Pebb Based On Sic Mosfet Power Modules, In : 2024, Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management, PCIM2024
  • ALAUZET Louis, CASTELAN Anne, REGNIER Sophie, FRADIN Jean-Pierre , DEZALAY Alexandre,TOUNSI Patrick, Innovative 3D Power Module Defaults Detection via Thermal Impedance Analysis and Simulations. In : 2024, Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management, PCIM2024

Member of Scientific & Technical Committee

  • IMAPS
    • Jean-Pierre FRADIN: Chairman of the “European Advanced Technology Workshop on micropackaging and thermal management” organized by IMAPS (International MicroElectronics and Packaging Society):
    • Call for the future Workshop: THERMAL2025: 18th European Advanced Technology Workshop on micropackaging and thermal management.
  • THERMINIC
    • Jean-Pierre FRADIN: Member of the Steering Committee of THERMINIC  and Programme Chair of THERMINIC 2024
    • Organisation of THERMINIC2024 in Toulouse in collaboration with LAAS-CNRS

Association pour le développement des sciences et techniques de l’environnement : Commission Thermique et Techniques Connexes

Partners

Founding members

Members

Research Partners : labs

Research projects

RECET4RAIL (2020-2023)

  • Reliable Energy and Cost Efficient Traction system for RAILway (JU Shift2Rail )
  • Consortium : ARAMIS, SAFT, AKKA-AEC, BREMEN, ICAM, WARSAW, POLIMI, AALTO, IRT, IKERLAN, RISE, ZABALA
  • Funding: The European RECET4RAIL (Shift2rail) project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No: 101015423
  • Objective of WP1:The main objective of the first work package (WP1) of RECET4RAIL project, also named “3D Additive Manufacturing and new manufacturing technologies “, is to improve the understanding of how additive manufacturing (AM) technologies can contribute to Traction drive system development and manufacturing by reducing conception lead-time, prototype manufacturing cost and improving performance and reliability, thus reducing overall maintenance cost, for the part and the global system. 

In that way, the WP1 study will be based on the development, the prototyping and the test of heat exchangers optimised thanks to additive manufacturing and to improve the expected benefits, the exchanger design will be optimised through the development of a Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation method that will take into account appropriate physics and AM processes characteristics.

Icam is responsible for the thermo-fluid modelling, simulation and sizing of the heat exchangers based on lattice structures but is also in charge of the experimental thermo-fluid characterization in terms of temperature and pressure drops of these metallic 3D heat printing  heat exchanges rusing lattice structure.

CHPA (2020-2023)

  • Automotive  Affordable High PerformanceCharger (On Board Charger)
  • Consortium : VITESCO, ELVIA, IRT Saint Exupéry, ST MicroElectronics, Icam
  • Funding: the “Power Electronics” program launched in June 2020 by the French Automotive Platform (PFA) with the financial participation of ADEME under the PIA.
  • Icam in charge of thermal management at the charger level (OBC) and at the PCB level integrating embedded semiconductors (SiC and GaN).
  • Links towards papers : CESA2022 et THERMAL2023 (à venir)

GANRET (2022-2026)

    • Reliability Assessment of GAllium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductor technology 
    • Consortium : AIRBUS, ALTER, AMPERE, CEA, CNES, DGA, EXAGAN, ICAM, IES, IRT Saint-Exupéry, LAAS, NANOELEC, NUCLETUDES, SAFRAN Tech, SATIE, SED, TAS, TRAD, VEDECOM, VITESCO, 
    • Funding: IRT Collaborative Project.
    • Icam in charge of the thermal characterization of the components in steady-state and in transient

THERMIMP3D (2021-2024)

  • Links towards papers (Electrimacs, Therminic 2020, SIA 2021)

COMOSIC (2022-2025)

  • Thesis co-supervised by Patrick TOUNSI (LAAS) et Jean-Pierre FRADIN (Icam/DEPTH-LAB)
  • This thesis is part of the development of power modules based on silicon carbide (SiC) components. This work follows the APSITHERM project led by IRT Saint-Exupéry in collaboration with aPSI 3D, LAAS and Icam. It is also complementary to the SICRET+ project (SiC (MOSFET) Reliability Evaluation for Transport, studies on the reliability of power electronic devices in Silicon Carbide) also carried out by the IRT Saint-Exupéry which aims at the reliability of SiC chips (2023->20XX).
  • In this project, we propose to circumvent the difficulties inherent to modules with multiple chips connected in parallel to make it possible to take into account, from the design of the SiC power module, the transient thermal behavior of the different chips during their operation on a targeted application. We propose the realization of a thermal impedance measurement bench in order to be able to measure individually the thermal behavior of the different chips as well as the couplings between the chips. This will allow them to be taken into account in a global dynamic electrothermal modeling.

These results, once obtained, will allow the development of a new methodology, based on both the use of a test bench and on electrical and thermal modeling, intended to enrich the design tools of new ultra-compact SiC modules. These tools will allow, on the one hand, a better exploitation of the properties of the large gap chips (better compactness of the module, optimized layout…) and, on the other hand, a better control of their reliability (through the real control of the junction temperature).

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