Infineon’s Power Semiconductor Lab Hits Double Win — Higher Throughput & Ultra-High Precision with B

Intro: The Costly Bottleneck Plaguing Power Semiconductor Labs

Power cycling testing is non-negotiable for EV inverters, wind converters, railway drives and solar power modules. But here’s the brutal truth: power cycling test benches rank as the single biggest capital expense at Infineon’s Warstein innovation hub in Germany.

Every power module (covering currents from several amps up to 3,000 A) needs a TC temperature characteristic calibration first. This curve determines junction temperature — the core metric for all reliability tests. Years ago, Infineon relied on fully manual calibration rigs, and the pain points piled up fast:

• 1+ hour of manual setup per test batch

• Human error risk in voltage/current logging

• No overnight unattended operation

• Slow furnace cooling delaying subsequent test runs

The lab team knew they needed a full automation overhaul, and Beckhoff’s open PC-based control stack became their game-changing solution.

The Automated Test Bench Stack: How TwinCAT + EtherCAT Cracked Precision Limits

1. High-Resolution Measurement Core: ELM3xxx EtherCAT Terminals

The star hardware here is the ELM3102-0100 EtherCAT measurement terminal, packing 24-bit resolution and 0.01% measurement accuracy.During calibration, up to 32 power modules sit inside temperature-controlled furnaces regulated via TCP/IP + TwinCAT. Once thermal equilibrium hits, the terminal captures module contact voltages with unmatched consistency — calibration benchmark data matched reference standard values down to six decimal places.

2. Flexible Current Control for All Module Types

Beckhoff EL2596 LED drive terminals deliver adjustable measuring current from 10 mA to 500 mA, paired with EL9560 power terminals for channel isolation.

• Fine-tuning precision: ±0.1 mA via shunt resistors

• Native compatibility with special low-current modules requiring just 1 mA input

• Works seamlessly with diodes, IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs without lengthy reconfiguration

3. Seamless TwinCAT ↔ LabVIEW Synergy

The whole system runs on CX5140 embedded controllers, with two parallel runtime environments:

1. TwinCAT 3 handling real-time furnace, I/O and current control

2. LabVIEW Runtime for data visualization, curve calculation and lab operation

The TF3710 TwinCAT 3 Interface for LabVIEW acts as a bidirectional data bridge. Engineers retain their familiar LabVIEW workflow while accessing all high-speed EtherCAT real-time signals from TwinCAT — no compromise on either lab software convenience or industrial control performance.

Real-World Lab Gains: Numbers That Speak for Themselves

After full deployment, Infineon’s Warstein test lab saw transformative operational improvements:✅ 1 hour saved on manual setup per test cycle✅ Double daily test throughput: 2 full batches instead of 1✅ Unattended overnight testing cuts idle equipment time drastically✅ TwinCAT-controlled furnace door actuation accelerates cooling, speeding batch turnover✅ Sharp OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) boost for capital-heavy test hardware

For a lab that acts as an internal service provider to R&D teams, faster throughput means hitting tight prototype delivery deadlines without sacrificing test accuracy.

Collaborative Customization & Future Expansion

This project wasn’t just an off-the-shelf hardware deployment — close joint development between Infineon and Beckhoff unlocked custom performance upgrades. Even a 10x jump in control precision was rolled out via standard firmware updates, avoiding costly custom hardware redesigns. The complete control cabinet passed mandatory CE certification, a critical requirement for automotive-grade semiconductor suppliers.

The upgrade roadmap is already locked in:

1. Auto-pull TC curve data from a central database via module ID, eliminating manual data retrieval from power cycling benches

2. Deploy two more identical automated test rigs (each supporting 24 simultaneous modules), with one installed at Infineon’s Hungarian production facility

Wrap-Up: Why PC-Based Control Dominates Semiconductor Test Labs

Semiconductor reliability testing demands two conflicting priorities: lab software flexibility and ultra-stable high-precision real-time control. Traditional closed PLC systems struggle to balance both.

Beckhoff’s open PC architecture, EtherCAT high-resolution I/O and TwinCAT-LabVIEW integration erase that tradeoff. For Infineon, the upgrade delivered both lab productivity leaps and gold-standard calibration accuracy — a blueprint for power semiconductor test labs worldwide scaling EV and renewable energy component validation.