Method of measuring junction temperature

A method of measuring junction temperature of a diode junction within a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

• a) measuring current/voltage characteristics for various diodes at room temperature;
• b) determining an ideal factor for each diode used in step a based on the formula:
• ##EQU6## wherein:
• I.sub.F is a forward current;
• S is the area of the Schottky contact;
• A is an effective Richardson constant;
• T is an absolute temperature;
• q is the charge of an electron;
• .PHI..sub.B is a Schottky barrier height;
• k is a Boltzmann constant;
• V.sub.F is a forward voltage;
• and
• n is an ideal factor;
• c) changing the temperature of the diodes used in step a to a selected temperature, the selected temperature being different than the room temperature;
• d) measuring current/voltage characteristics for each diode used in step c;
• e) comparing the measurements obtained in step d with the measurements obtained in step a, so as to obtain a temperature coefficient for each diode used in step a;
• f) measuring, at room temperature, a current/voltage characteristic of a diode to be utilized;
• g) determining an ideal factor from the measured current/voltage characteristic of the diode used in step f based on the formula used in step b;
• h) determining a temperature coefficient corresponding to the ideal factor obtained in step g by performing a linear interpolation between the ideal factors obtained in step b, the ideal factor obtained in step g, and the temperature coefficients obtained in step e;
• i) placing the diode used in step f where it will be used;
• j) measuring a current/voltage characteristic of the diode used in step f;
• k) determining the junction temperature of the diode used in step f from the temperature coefficient determined in step h, the current/voltage characteristic measured in step f, and the current/voltage characteristic measured in step j.