Integrated hot spot detector for design, analysis, and control
US5902044A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 27, 1997 |
| Grant date | May 11, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 27, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01K3/14
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A matrix of thermal sensors is provided for accurately evaluating the thermal characteristics of an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is evenly divided into a plurality of sectors in which a thermal comparison to a known thermal mass will be performed. Each sector includes at least one dual cell comprising a local thermal sensor for providing an output corresponding to a local temperature of the integrated circuit in that sector, and a background thermal sensor. The outputs of selective ones of the background thermal sensors are combined to provide a signal corresponding to a background temperature of the integrated circuit. A decoder/enabler arrangement is used to selectively gate the output of a specific local thermal sensor in a sector to a difference circuit where it is compared to the collective output of selected ones of the background sensors to generate a thermal measurement of the sector under test.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.