Abstract

As a widely used encapsulant for power electronic devices, silicone gel is continuously exposed to high voltage and high temperature during service, which seriously impairs the reliability and service lifetime of power modules. This work investigates the electrothermal coupling failure mechanism of conventional silicone gel under high-voltage and high-temperature environments; the influences of different pulse electric field edge times and aging stages on various properties of the material are investigated, including electrical treeing characteristics, breakdown field strength, amplitude of charge-excited molecular vibration, leakage current, and cone penetration. It is revealed that the failure mechanism of silicone gel is attributed to the synergistic effect between dynamic charge damage induced by the pulse edge electric field and the degradation of the solid–liquid two-phase structure at high temperatures. This research provides theoretical support and experimental basis for material composition modification, structural optimization, and improving the encapsulation life of power electronic devices.

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