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US 7,406,397 B2Granted
Self heating monitor for SiGe and SOI CMOS devices
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsPaul A. Hyde, Edward J. Nowak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A structure, apparatus and method for deterring the temperature of an active region in semiconductor, particularly a FET is provided. A pair FETs are arranged on a silicon island a prescribed distance from one another where the silicon island is surrounded by a thermal insulator. One FET is heated by a current driven therethrough. The other FET functions as a temperature sensor by having a change in an electrical characteristic versus temperature monitored. By arranging multiple pairs of FETs separated by different known distances, the temperature of the active region of one of the FETs may be determined during operation at various driving currents.
Claims32
A method of measuring performance of a device, comprising:
- thermally coupling a first heating device to a first sensing device;
- generating heat at the first heating device;
- measuring a change in at least one electrical characteristic of the first sensing device caused by the heat generated at the first heating device;
- calculating a temperature of the first heating device using the measured change in the at least one electrical characteristic;
- determining an offset between the first heating device and at least a second heating device, each having a different number of contacts;
- and
- extrapolating the offset to zero contacts.
4 more elements
An apparatus for measuring semiconductor device temperature, comprising:
- at least one silicon island;
- at least one heating field effect transistor configurable to generate heat arranged within the silicon island;
- at least one sensing field effect transistor arranged within the at least one silicon island corresponding to each heating field effect transistor of the at least one heating field effect transistor, wherein each sensing field effect transistor is arranged a prescribed distance from its corresponding heating field effect transistor and each sensing field effect transistor is configurable to sense a temperature;
- and
- means to calculate a temperature of the each heating field effect transistor using a measured change in at least one electrical characteristic of the each sensing field effect transistor caused by the heat generated at the each heating field effect transistor, wherein the calculating means uses an offset between a first heating field effect transistor and at least a second heating field effect transistor of the at least one heating field effect transistor, each having a different number of contacts and extrapolates the offset to zero contacts.
2 more elements
A method of measuring performance of a device, comprising:
- thermally coupling a first heating device to a first sensing device;
- generating heat at the first heating device;
- measuring a change in at least one electrical characteristic of the first sensing device caused by the heat generated at the first heating device;
- and
- calculating a temperature of the first heating device using the measured change in the at least one electrical characteristic wherein;
- the generating step includes generating heat at the first heating device with a first number of contacts and a second number of contacts;
- the measuring step includes:
- measuring a change in at least one electrical characteristic of the first sensing device caused by the heat generated at the first heating device with the first number of contacts;
- measuring a change in at least one electrical characteristic of the first sensing device caused by the heat generated at the first heating device with the second number of contacts;
- and
- the calculating step includes:
- calculating a temperature of the first heating device with the first number of contacts and the second number of contacts using the measured change in the at least one electrical characteristic;
- and
- extrapolating results of the measurement obtained with the first number of contacts and the second number of contacts to zero contacts.
11 more elements
A method of measuring performance of a device, comprising:
- thermally coupling a first heating device to a first sensing device;
- generating heat at the first heating device;
- measuring a change in at least one electrical characteristic of the first sensing device caused by the heat generated at the first heating device;
- and
- calculating a temperature of the first heating device using the measured change in the at least one electrical characteristic, wherein the measurement step includes establishing an amount of temperature change per contact between the first heating device and a second heating device having a different number of contacts and the calculating step includes extrapolating results of the measurement step to zero contacts to determine an actual device temperature without an offsetting effect of the contacts.
2 more elements
An apparatus for measuring semiconductor device temperature, comprising:
- at least one silicon island;
- at least one heating field effect transistor configurable to generate heat arranged within the silicon island;
- at least one sensing field effect transistor arranged within the at least one silicon island corresponding to each heating field effect transistor of the at least one heating field effect transistor, wherein each sensing field effect transistor is arranged a prescribed distance from its corresponding heating field effect transistor and each sensing field effect transistor is configurable to sense a temperature;
- and
- means to calculate a temperature of the each heating field effect transistor using a measured change in at least one electrical characteristic of the each sensing field effect transistor caused by the heat generated at the each heating field effect transistor,
- wherein the at least one heating field effect transistor is a first heating field effect transistor having a first number of contacts and a second field effect transistor having a second, different number of contacts, each configurable to generate heat arranged within the silicon island, and
- wherein the at least one sensing field effect transistor senses a temperature of the first heating field effect transistor and a second heating field effect transistor and the calculating means extrapolates results of the sensed temperature differences to zero contacts to determine an actual device temperature without an offsetting effect of the contacts.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.