Efficient method to predict integrated circuit temperature and power maps
US7627841B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 12, 2007 |
| Grant date | Dec 1, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 11, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2119/12
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The temperature distribution associated with a design of an integrated circuit is calculated by convoluting a surface power usage represented by a power matrix with a heat spreading function. The heat spreading function may be calculated from a simulation of a point source on the integrated circuit using a finite element analysis model of the integrated circuit or other techniques. To account for spatial variations on the chip, the heat spreading function may be made dependent on position using a position scaling function. Steady-state or transient temperature distributions may be computed by using a steady-state or transient heat spreading function. A single heat spreading function may be convolved with various alternative power maps to efficiently calculate temperature distributions for different designs. In an inverse problem, one can calculate the power map from an empirically measured temperature distribution and a heat spreading function using various de-convolution techniques. While the forward problem is analogous to image blurring, the inverse problem is analogous to image restoration.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.