A lifetime prediction method for Solid State Lighting power converters based on SPICE models and finite element thermal simulations

Solid State Lighting (SSL) power converters are considered as the reliability bottleneck of a light emitting diode lighting system. This paper proposes a lifetime prediction method for solid state lighting power converter based on SPICE models and finite element thermal simulations. This method consists of four major parts: lifetime meter, components decay models, SPICE simulator and finite element simulator. The estimated lifetime can be obtained by a number of iterations of electronic and thermal performances of the interested power converter.