IEEE Power Electronics Magazine Compendium - March 2018 - 8

lights appears, known as a phantom
array. The reason for this trail of
lights might not be what you expected: it is not due to glare, degradation
of eyesight, or astigmatism. The culprit may be the flickering of the LED
lights caused by pulsewidth modulating (PWM) drive circuitry. Actually,
many LED taillights flicker on and off
at frequencies between 200 and 500
Hz, which is too fast to notice when
the eye is not in rapid motion. However, during a rapid eye movement
(saccade), the images of the LED
lights appear in different positions on
the retina, causing a trail of images to
be perceived. This disturbance of vision may not occur with all LED taillights because some taillights keep a
constant current through the LEDs.
However, when there is a PWM current through the LEDs, the biological
effect of the light flicker may become
noticeable during the eye saccade.
"New Approaches to Reliability Assessment: Using Physics-of-Failure for
Prediction and Design in Power Electronics Systems" (originally published
in the December 2016 edition): Power

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These advances lead our
general society to a
greater use of energy,
perhaps in ways we have
not even imagined yet.

electronics are facing continuous pressure to be cheaper and smaller, have
a higher power density, and, in some
cases, also operate at higher temperatures. At the same time, power electronics products are expected to have
reduced failures because it is essential
for reducing the cost of energy. New
approaches for reliability assessment
are being taken in the design phase of
power electronics systems based on
the physics-of-failure in components.
In this approach, many new methods,
such as multidisciplinary simulation
tools, strength testing of components,
translation of mission profiles, and
statistical analysis, are involved to
enable better prediction and design
of reliability for products. This article

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gives an overview of the new design
flow in the reliability engineering of
power electronics from the systemlevel point of view and discusses some
of the emerging needs for the technology in this field.

List of Past Presidents
1983, Paul F. Pittman (Interim)
1984, William W. Burns, III (Interim)
1985-1986, William W. Burns, III
1987-1988, John G. Kassakian
1989-1990, Pierre A. Thollot
1991-1992, Thomas G. Wilson, Sr.
1993-1994, Fred C.Y. Lee
1995-1996, Thomas M. Jahns
1997-1998, Jerry L. Hudgins
1999-2000, Philip T. Krein
2001-2002, Thomas G. Habetler
2003-2004, Dean J. Patterson
2005-2006, Rik W. De Doncker
2007-2008, Hirofumi Akagi
2009-2010, Deepakraj M. Divan
2011-2012, Dushan Boroyevich
2013-2014, Don F.D. Tan
2015-2016, J.A. Ferreira
2017-2018, Homer Alan Mantooth

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine Compendium - March 2018