Infineon’s releases platform to calculate thermal performance with stray inductance parameters

The Infineon Power Simulation Platform (IPOSIM) from Infineon Technologies AG is widely used to calculate losses and thermal behavior of power modules, discrete devices, and disc devices. The platform now integrates a SPICE-based model generation tool that incorporates external circuitry and gate driver selection into system-level simulations. The tool delivers more accurate results for static, dynamic, and thermal performance, taking into consideration non-linear semiconductor physics of the devices. This enables advanced device comparison under a wide range of operating conditions and faster design decisions. Developers can also customize their application environment to reflect real-world operating conditions directly within the workflow. As a result, they can optimize the application performance, shorten time-to-market, and reduce costly design iterations. IPOSIM integrates SPICE to support a wide range of applications where switching power and thermal performance are critical, including electric vehicle (EV) charging, solar, motor drives, energy storage systems (ESS), and industrial power supplies.

In the global transition to a decarbonized future, power electronics are essential for enabling cleaner energy systems, sustainable transportation, and more efficient industrial processes. This transformation increases the demand for advanced simulation and validation tools that allow designers to innovate early in the development cycle. At the same time, they must deliver highly efficient, high-power-density designs such as EV chargers, solar inverters, motor drives, and industrial power supplies, while minimizing design iterations and reducing development costs. Switching losses and thermal performance are decisive factors in this process, yet traditional hardware testing remains time-consuming, costly, and limited in capturing real-world conditions.

With the integration of SPICE, IPOSIM brings the simulation of real switching behavior fully online and helps users optimize their designs at an early stage of the development process. By extending system simulation to real-world conditions, the models make it possible to factor in critical parameters such as stray inductance, gate voltage, and dead time. The device characterization reflects the switching behavior under more realistic operating scenarios, taking the selected gate driver into account. The capability is fully integrated into IPOSIM’s multi-device comparison workflow, enabling users to select devices marked with the SPICE icon, configure application environments, and follow a guided simulation process. With its system-level accuracy and intuitive workflow, IPOSIM’s new SPICE-based models enable faster device selection and more reliable design decisions. The solution is fully embedded into IPOSIM, available online, and free of charge.

IPOSIM with SPICE is available now. Free company registration is required to use the feature. Available topologies and devices are marked with a SPICE icon.

The first version supports 1200 V silicon carbide discrete devices in IPOSIM’s predefined 3-phase 2-level (discretes) topology, together with 36 compatible gate drivers. Future updates will extend coverage to CoolMOS, CoolSiC modules, OptiMOS, GaN devices, and more gate driver devices.