Abstract: Thin dielectric films are essential components of most micro‐ and nanoelectronic devices, and they have played a key role in the huge development that the semiconductor industry has experienced during the last 50 years. Guaranteeing the reliability of thin dielectric films has become more challenging, in light of strong demand from the market for improved performance in electronic devices. The degradation and breakdown of thin dielectrics under normal device operation has an enormous technological importance and thus it is widely investigated in traditional dielectrics (e.g., SiO2, HfO2, and Al2O3), and it should be further investigated in novel dielectric materials that might be used in future devices (e.g., layered dielectrics). Understanding not only the physical phenomena behind dielectric breakdown but also its statistics is crucial to ensure the reliability of modern and future electronic devices, and it can also be cleverly used for other applications, such as the fabrication of new‐concept resistive switching devices (e.g., nonvolatile memories and electronic synapses). Here, the fundamentals of the dielectric breakdown phenomenon in traditional and future thin dielectrics are revised. The physical phenomena that trigger the onset, structural damage, breakdown statistics, device reliability, technological implications, and perspectives are described.

Abstract: The reliability evaluation of integrated power-gas systems (IPGS) becomes critical due to the high dependency of the two energy systems. Once a contingent incident happens in one system, the other system will accordingly be affected. In this paper, a detailed model for the IPGS is presented with the consideration of the power-to-gas devices and gas storages. Furthermore, a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) simulation is utilized to evaluate the reliability of the IPGS. In particular, the gas storage life reliability model is considered to characterize the charging and discharging performance. Moreover, an optimal load shedding model is used to coordinate the load shedding of the IPGS. What's more, new reliability indices are given to display the reliability of the IPGS. Finally, the proposed model is tested on an integrated IEEE 24-bus power system and 20-node gas system and an integrated IEEE RTS 96 power system and 40-node gas system. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Abstract: SiC MOSFETs (silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) are replacing Si insulated gate bipolar transistors in many power conversion applications due to their superior performance. However, ruggedness and reliability of SiC MOSFETs are still big concern for their widespread applications in the market, especially in safety-critical applications. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive picture on the ruggedness and reliability of commercial SiC MOSFETs, discover their failure or degradation mechanism, and propose some possible mitigation methods through both literature survey and in-depth analysis. The ruggedness of SiC MOSFETs discussed here includes short-circuit (SC) ruggedness, avalanche ruggedness, and their failure mechanism. The reliability issues include gate oxide reliability, degradation under high-temperature bias stress, repetitive SC stress, avalanche stress, power cycling stress, body diode's surge current stress, and their degradation mechanism. Furthermore, this study discusses methods and solutions to improve their ruggedness and reliability.

Abstract: This study presents a comprehensive survey on the reliability evaluation of the electrical network system. The impacts of integration of new and renewable energy sources (electric vehicle, energy storage system, solar, and wind) on the reliability of electrical power system (EPS) are discussed. The impacts of these renewable sources have merits/demerits when these sources are integrated with the conventional electric power system. However, the merits are predominant as it includes unlimited, free, and cost-effective resources. The recent researches depict that the uncertainties of renewable energy resources leads to the probabilistic and reliability analyses of EPS. EPS includes offshore and onshore wind farms, micro-grid, energy storage system, and other high voltage grids. It also contains the failure-prone components related to the power systems. For the accomplishment of these aspects, the handling methods of uncertainty parameters in generation, transmission, and distribution systems are discussed. The incorporation of electric vehicles, wind energy system, and energy storage system for reliability assessment is also discussed briefly. This study also presents the scope of a new research area for the researchers on the reliability assessment of renewable energy integrated power system.

Abstract: This paper aims to provide an update of the reliability aspects of research on power electronic components and hardware systems. It introduces the latest advances in the understanding of failure mechanisms, testing methods, accumulated damage modeling, and mission-profile-based reliability prediction. Component-level examples (e.g. Si IGBT modules, SiC MOSFETs, GaN devices, capacitors, and magnetic components) are used for illustration purposes, in addition to system-level studies. The limitations and associated open questions are discussed to identify future research opportunities in power electronics reliability.

Abstract: With the modernization of power grids, the network optimal utilization is essential to ensure that voltage profile at each bus is maintained within an acceptable range, voltage stability of the system is enhanced, power losses in lines are minimized, reliability and security of system are improved and etc. These can be achieved by introducing reactive power compensation devices such as Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices, Custom Power (CP) devices, synchronous condenser, capacitor bank and etc in distribution or transmission networks. Optimal location and sizing of the reactive power compensation devices are significantly important to ensure sufficient investment onto this device. Recently, most of conducted studies had focused on the techniques for determining the optimal location and sizing of various reactive power compensation devices in the power system using various indices proposed in the literature to access the power loss, voltage stability, voltage profile and line loadability. However, no review paper had discussed on the application of the existing indices adopted in the available techniques for solving the optimal location and sizing problems for all types of reactive power compensation devices. In this paper, current literature survey on optimal location and sizing of reactive power compensations had been discussed which includes analytical, conventional, metaheuristic and hybrid based approaches. The main objectives are to reduce power losses, to mitigate voltage deviations, to increase voltage stability and to improve reliability and security of the system.

Abstract: Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are a key energy storage component in various electrical and electronic systems such as mobile phones and electric vehicles. A properly designed battery management system (BMS) is crucial to guarantee the safety, reliability, and optimal performance of the battery as well as to interconnect the battery systems with each other and external systems through communication channels. However, security threats of the Li-ion battery systems are often overlooked by BMS developers in the design phase. The cybersecurity of BMSs is an essential factor to consider as more battery systems require internet connectivity for functionality such as intelligent monitoring, control, and maintenance. This paper discusses overall security vulnerabilities from potential cyber-attacks and defense strategies as well as adoption of current blockchain technology in BMSs, which will be used as a cyber security baseline reference to BMS developers. The implementation of blockchain technology is promising to protect BMSs from malicious cyber-physical attacks and ensure the secure utilization of battery systems for numerous applications in cyber-physical environments.

Abstract: Machine learning (ML) has already been adopted in vehicular networks for such applications as autonomous driving, road safety prediction and vehicular object detection, due to its model-free characteristic, allowing adaptive fast response. However, the training of the ML model brings significant overhead for the data transmission between the parameter server and the edge devices in the vehicles. Federated learning (FL) framework has been recently introduced as an efficient tool with the goal of reducing this transmission overhead while also achieving privacy through the transmission of only the model updates of the learnable parameters rather than the whole dataset. In this article, we investigate the usage of FL over ML in vehicular network applications to develop intelligent transportation systems. We provide a comprehensive analysis on the feasibility of FL for the ML based vehicular applications. Then, we identify the major challenges from both learning perspective, i.e., data labeling and model training, and from the communications point of view, i.e., data rate, reliability, transmission overhead/delay, privacy and resource management. Finally, we highlight related future research directions for FL in vehicular networks.

Abstract: Modular multilevel converter (MMC) has been one of the most popular candidates in high-voltage applications. However, reliability is a critical issue due to a large number of power switching devices and capacitors applied in the MMC. To improve the reliability of the MMC, a fast and reliable diagnosis strategy for the open-circuit fault is proposed in this paper, where submodule voltage sensors are relocated to the upper switching device. Furthermore, a voltage observer based on the submodule voltage sensor is established to monitor the capacitor and realize the power control of the MMC under normal operation. A Boolean logic operation based fault indicator is put forward based on the relationship of the operation state and binaried output of voltage sensors, which could detect and locate the open-circuit faults of the MMC very fast. The ratio of the increment of the observed and measured capacitor voltage during the period of positive arm current is applied to monitor the capacitor. The effectiveness of the proposed fault diagnosis strategy and the capacitor monitoring strategy is verified by the experiment results.

Abstract: The quantity and variety of parameters involved in the failure evolutions in solder joints under a thermo-mechanical process directs the reliability assessment of electronic devices to be frustratingly slow and expensive. To tackle this challenge, we develop a novel machine learning framework for reliability assessment of solder joints in electronic systems; we propose a correlation-driven neural network model that predicts the useful lifetime based on the materials properties, device configuration, and thermal cycling variations. The results indicate a high accuracy of the prediction model in the shortest possible time. A case study will evaluate the role of solder material and the joint thickness on the reliability of electronic devices; we will illustrate that the thermal cycling variations strongly determine the type of damage evolution, i.e., the creep or fatigue, during the operation. We will also demonstrate how an optimal selection of the solder thickness balances the damage types and considerably improves the useful lifetime. The established framework will set the stage for further exploration of electronic materials processing and offer a potential roadmap for new developments of such materials.

Abstract: Electrical machines (EMs) are required to consistently perform their intended mission over a specified timeframe. The move toward transportation electrification made the EMs’ reliability an even stringent and predominant requirement, since a failure might cause severe economic losses, as well as endanger human lives. Traditionally, the design procedure of motors conceived for safety-critical applications mainly relies on over-engineering approaches. However, a paradigm shift is recently taking place and physics of failure approaches/methodologies are employed to meet the reliability figures, while delivering an optimal design. This article proposes and outlines a reliability-oriented design for low-voltage EMs. Thermal accelerated aging tests are preliminarily carried out on custom-built specimens. Once the aging trend of the turn-to-turn insulation system is assessed, the thermal endurance graph at several percentile values is determined and lifetime models are developed, for both constant and variable temperature operations. Finally, these models are used to predict the turn-to-turn insulation lifetime of motors meant for aerospace and automotive applications.

Abstract: In current studies of safety assessment for complex systems with the evidential reasoning (ER) rule, the evidence reliability is generally given by experts, which makes the observation data by sensors ignored. However, sensors are inevitably affected by such various uncertainties as perturbations in engineering practice, which can reduce their quality and tracking ability. As such, the observation data may become unreliable, and the modeling accuracy of the ER rule is decreased. In this article, a new ER rule-based safety assessment method with sensor reliability for complex systems is proposed, where sensor reliability and perturbation are considered. The coefficient of the variation-based weighting (CVBW) method is employed to obtain sensor weight. The sensor reliability is calculated by static reliability and dynamic reliability, which are determined by experts and the distance-based method, respectively. The perturbation is quantified as a bounded parameter defined as the perturbation factor, which is used to describe uncertainties and aggregate static reliability and dynamic reliability. The performance analysis of safety assessment is conducted to demonstrate the rationality of perturbation and position poor sensors, followed by a safety assessment algorithm. A case study is carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract: The long-term reliability concerns regarding the latest power devices, e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, need to be well understood for their rapid and widespread deployment in industrial applications. As an effective reliability assessment, the dc power cycling test is one of the most realistic procedures providing accelerated lifetime tests. In this paper, a dc power cycling setup for SiC power MOSFETs is proposed, and the design methodology is generalized for practicing engineers. At first, the aging-independent junction temperature measurement method is identified to eliminate the laborious recalibration process. Specifically, the electrical parameter changes of commercial SiC MOSFETs are evaluated in a power cycling test. It is observed experimentally that the body diode’s voltage drop at low current and negative gate bias is unaffected by the device/package degradation. Therefore, it is selected for $T_{j}$ measurement in the proposed setup. Following that, the design considerations regarding precise parameter measurement of the device’s parameter are presented. The transient behavior of the proposed test setup is analyzed, and a simulation model is built in LTspice. Based on the model, the effects of gate timing control and paralleled capacitors are investigated for realizing accurate measurements, and the simulation results are verified experimentally in a prototype. In addition, considering the measurement delay in the conditioning circuits and the common-mode noise, the practical issues affecting the measurement accuracy in a multiple-phase setup are investigated in the experiment. Experimental results show that an accurate measurement can be achieved with the design considerations.

Abstract: Modular multilevel converters (MMC) are complex systems, composed of many elements, and exposed to critical load demands in some cases. Thereby, a detailed design of its components is of preeminent importance to achieve a high system-level reliability. However, the high number of devices challenges the tradeoff between cost and reliability. This article, introduces a reliability-oriented design methodology, based on the cost to achieve a predefined unreliability level ( $U_x$ ). A flowchart presents the main steps of the process, including the mission profile definition, selection of power devices, thermal modeling, reliability modeling, and the reliability-oriented selection. To evaluate the proposed methodology, a case study considering 17 MVA/13.8 kV MMC-static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) with a real mission profile data is conducted. A $U_x - cost$ map is introduced to compare various design solutions, based on power devices of different voltage classes and current capabilities.

Abstract: We discuss various gate-oxide reliability aspects of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and highlight similarities and differences of SiC and silicon (Si) technology. Basic concepts of electrical gate-oxide defect screening are introduced and failure probability and the failure-rate after screening is studied based on Weibull statistics. To be able to quantify very low extrinsic failure probabilities (e.g. after electrical screening), we present a new kind of test procedure which we call the "marathon stress test". The results of this test demonstrate that excellent gate-oxide reliability of commercially available SiC trench MOSFETs can be achieved after applying a sufficiently precise electrical screening.

Abstract: Lifetime of power electronic devices, in particular those used for wind turbines, is short due to the generation of thermal stresses in their switching device e.g., IGBT particularly in the case of high switching frequency. This causes premature failure of the device leading to an unreliable performance in operation. Hence, appropriate thermal assessment and implementation of associated mitigation procedure are required to put in place in order to improve the reliability of the switching device. This paper presents two case studies to demonstrate the reliability assessment of IGBT. First, a new driving strategy for operating IGBT based power inverter module is proposed to mitigate wire-bond thermal stresses. The thermal stress is characterised using finite element modelling and validated by inverter operated under different wind speeds. High-speed thermal imaging camera and dSPACE system are used for real time measurements. Reliability of switching devices is determined based on thermoelectric (electrical and/or mechanical) stresses during operations and lifetime estimation. Second, machine learning based data-driven prognostic models are developed for predicting degradation behaviour of IGBT and determining remaining useful life using degradation raw data collected from accelerated aging tests under thermal overstress condition. The durations of various phases with increasing collector-emitter voltage are determined over the device lifetime. A data set of phase durations from several IGBTs is trained to develop Neural Network (NN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) models, which is used to predict remaining useful life (RUL) of IGBT. Results obtained from the presented case studies would pave the path for improving the reliability of IGBTs.

Abstract: Machine learning models identify both location and cause of superconducting rf cryomodule faults with an accuracy that approaches those of the human experts.

Abstract: The reliability of DC-link capacitors in urban rail transit is considered as a major challenge because of significant maintenance impact. In this article, the DC-link capacitor reliability is researched in metro traction drive system. In the small timescale of control level, the current harmonics of multiple operating conditions and different control methods in the DC-link capacitor are discussed. The power loss is simulated by the capacitor harmonics of current and equivalent series resistance (ESR) in multioperating conditions. Considering electrothermal coupling, the time-ordered and continuity of thermal stress are analyzed to evaluate the hot spot temperature dynamic conformed to the reality. Combining with the analysis of electrical stress and thermal stress, a multitimescale capacitor reliability evaluation method is proposed. It is divided into four steps: the discrete small timescale, the single route timescale, the daily operation timescale, and the whole lifetime cycle. In the different timescales, the lifetime distribution changes with the dynamics of the complex mission profiles, so as to estimate the lifetime bottleneck of the DC-link capacitor banks with different control methods by the Weibull distribution. In addition, experimental validation is provided to verify the accuracy of the proposed method.

Abstract: Modern electrical machines, such as those employed in transportation applications are required to provide very high performance in terms of power (and torque) density and efficiency. The reality, however, is that the more these machines are “pushed” in relation to power density, the more is the probability of failure of their insulation systems, through enhanced electrical and thermal stresses. On the other hand, regardless the power density level, the electrical machine still needs to respect the certification processes set by the international standards and procedures. Unfortunately, today reliability and lifetime are still not considered as main design objective functions right from the start of the design process. This is a direct result of a gap in knowledge in terms of the precise understanding of failure mechanisms. If physics of failure models are available, then reliability can be included at all design stages. Therefore, this article proposes a method that shortens the time demanded for the thermal lifetime evaluation procedure or qualification of low-voltage electrical machines. The theory behind the method is presented and, then, experimentally validated on custom designed specimens.

Abstract: As one of the most vulnerable components to temperature and temperature cycling conditions in power electronics converter systems in these application fields as wind power, electric vehicles, drive system, etc., power semiconductor devices draw great concern in terms of reliability. Owing to the wide utilization of power semiconductor devices in various power applications, especially insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), power semiconductor devices have been studied extensively regarding increasing reliability methods. This study comparatively reviews recent advances in the area of reliability research for power semiconductor devices, including condition monitoring (CM), active thermal control (ATC), and remaining useful lifetime (RUL) estimation techniques. Different from previous review studies, this technical review is carried out with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of the correlation between various enhancing reliability techniques and discussing the corresponding merits and demerits by using 144 related up-to-date papers. The structure and failure mechanism of power semiconductor devices are first investigated. Different failure indicators and recent associated CM techniques are then compared. The ATC approaches following the type of converter systems are further summarized. Furthermore, RUL estimation techniques are surveyed. This paper concludes with summarized challenges for future research opportunities regarding reliability improvement.

Abstract: Fault diagnosis is a key way to improve the efficient, safe and stable operation of high-speed trains. This paper proposes a fault diagnosis method based on belief rule base with mixed reliability (BRB-mr). Different from the traditional BRB, this method considers two kinds of interference factors that affect the observation data in engineering practice, including the performance of sensors and the influence of external environment, and we quantify them as static reliability and dynamic reliability of attributes in BRB. In order to integrate two kinds of reliability factors into the reasoning of BRB, a discount method is developed based on Dempster-Shafer theory (D-S theory), which is helpful for more accurate diagnosis. In this paper, the effectiveness and practicability of the method are verified by a single fault of the running gear, and the supplementary numerical data verified its feasibility in multiple fault mode diagnosis. Then this method is compared with traditional methods. The result shows BRB-mr model has stronger diagnostic ability to identify faults and it has a certain engineering application value to be extended to other complex system fault diagnosis.

Abstract: With the advent of the Internet of things (IoT) era, more and more devices are connected to the IoT. Under the traditional cloud-thing centralized management mode, the transmission of massive data is facing many difficulties, and the reliability of data is difficult to be guaranteed. As emerging technologies, blockchain technology and edge computing (EC) technology have attracted the attention of academia in improving the reliability, privacy and invariability of IoT technology. In this paper, we combine the characteristics of the EC and blockchain to ensure the reliability of data transmission in the IoT. First of all, we propose a data transmission mechanism based on blockchain, which uses the distributed architecture of blockchain to ensure that the data is not tampered with; secondly, we introduce the three-tier structure in the architecture in turn; finally, we introduce the four working steps of the mechanism, which are similar to the working mechanism of blockchain. In the end, the simulation results show that the proposed scheme can ensure the reliability of data transmission in the Internet of things to a great extent.

Abstract: The utilization of voltage-source converter-based multi-terminal HVDC (VSC-MTDC) technology has been envisaged as a cost-effective solution to transmit bulk renewables from multiple sending ends to receiving-end AC systems. However, with complex configurations and various types of components, the reliability evaluation of a VSC-MTDC system is more complicated than that of a conventional HVDC system. In addition, due to stochastic failures and complex operating modes, the application of a VSC-MTDC system can have a significant influence on the reliability of hybrid AC/DC power systems. This paper presents a new technique for evaluating the nodal reliability of a hybrid AC/DC power system based on the VSC-MTDC system. The proposed technique is incorporated within a multi-state model for the VSC-MTDC system. Then, an optimization model for contingency management of a hybrid AC/DC power system is formulated. The model is established based on the optimal power flow technique for a VSC-MTDC based hybrid AC/DC power system. The objective of the model is to minimize the total system cost when determining the load curtailment and generation re-dispatch results for each contingency state. Nodal reliability indices for hybrid AC/DC power systems are proposed to evaluate the reliability performance of customers at each node. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is validated using a modified IEEE reliability test system.