Thermal control process for a multijunction electronic power device and corresponding electronic power device

A method for identifying a source of heat generation in an electronic device comprising an integrated circuit having a plurality of junction groups, wherein each junction group comprises a plurality of junctions, the method comprising:

• generating, by a plurality of thermal detectors, a plurality of group electric signals, wherein each thermal detector is associated with a respective junction group, and wherein each group electric signal is indicative of a temperature of a respective junction group;
• selecting a selected group electric signal from the plurality of group electric signals;
• digitizing the selected group electric signal, wherein the digitized selected group electric signal is output as a digitized group electric signal;
• comparing the digitized group electric signal with a critical thermal group threshold;
• identifying a critical thermal group from among the plurality of junction groups in response to the digitized group electric signal exceeding the critical thermal group threshold;
• deactivating all junctions of the critical thermal group while maintaining the remaining junction groups active;
• and
• subsequent to deactivating all junctions of the critical thermal group, sequentially activating at least one given junction from among the plurality of junctions of the critical thermal group for a predetermined time interval to identify a source of heat generation in the critical thermal group.