Based on demand of multiple time scale dynamic characterization of power electronic devices and their combination, the recent research progress and achievements on the widely used full-control power electronic devices—IGBTs(insulated gate bipolar transistors), were analyzed systematically, including the multiple time scales electro-thermal modeling of high power IGBTs and their combinations, quantitative failure evaluation methods based on the multiple time scales model and the assisted multi-rate simulation method. Furthermore, applications of the models were introduced in power electronic instruments design. In conclusion, the dynamic characterization method of high power IGBTs and their combinations under multiple time scales were presented from four aspects of modelling method, reliability evaluation, simulation method and application design, which can bring theoretical and technical support of power electronic devices to precise design of power electronic hybrid system.