# US 8,543,952 B2 · Method and apparatus for thermal analysis of through-silicon via (TSV) > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,952 B2 - Document ID: US8543952B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/290,047 - Filed: 2011-11-04 - Published: 2012-08-16 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2008-06-24 - Assignees: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Vinod Kariat; Eddy Pramono; Yong Zhan - Inventors: Vinod Kariat; Eddy Pramono; Yong Zhan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543952B2 ## CPC - G06F 30/23: using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM] - G06F 30/367: Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods - G06F 2111/08: Probabilistic or stochastic CAD - G06F 2119/06: Power analysis or power optimisation - G06F 2119/08: Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for performing thermal analysis of an integrated circuit (“IC”) design layout. The IC design layout includes several wiring layers in some embodiments. The IC design layout includes a substrate that has at least one through-silicon via (“TSV”). The method divides the IC design layout into a set of elements. The method identifies a temperature distribution for the IC design layout by using the set of elements. In some embodiments, at least one element includes a metal component and a non-metal component. The non-metal component is silicon in some embodiments, and a dielectric in other embodiments. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for performing thermal analysis of an integrated circuit (“IC”) design layout, the computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for: dividing the IC design layout into a set of elements, said IC design layout comprising a wiring layer and a substrate, said substrate comprising a non-metal component and a metal component, said metal component comprising a set of through-silicon vias (“TSVs”), each TSV extending through the substrate and conducting an electrical current, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of a portion of a TSV and a portion of the non-metal component; computing an effective thermal conductivity value for each element based on an amount of metal component in each element; and identifying a temperature distribution for the IC design layout based on the computed effective thermal conductivity values. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the non-metal component is a silicon component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of at least two separate portions of the metal component and the portion of the non-metal component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sets of instructions for computing the effective thermal conductivity value comprises sets of instructions for using an element model to define a representative element for each element. ### Claim 5 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for performing thermal analysis of an integrated circuit (“IC”) design layout, the computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for: dividing the IC design layout into a set of elements, said IC design layout comprising a wiring layer and a substrate, said substrate comprising a set of through-silicon vias (“TSVs”), each TSV extending through the substrate and conducting an electrical current from the wiring layer to circuits outside of the IC; computing conductivity values for each element by using parameterized functions; and identifying a temperature distribution for the IC design layout based on the computed conductivity values. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein least one element comprises a combination of a metal component and a non-metal component of the substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of at least two metal components and a non-metal component of the substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the parameterized functions are obtained by carrying out a symbolic integration of a set of finite element equations for a set of metal location parameters. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the parameterized functions use coordinates of the TSV to describe how heat flow at a first node of the element is affected by a temperature change at a second node of the element, each node representing a different vertex of the element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of at least two metal components and a non-metal component of the substrate. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: a processor for executing sets of instructions; and a memory for storing a computer program for performing thermal analysis of an integrated circuit (“IC”) design layout, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for: dividing the IC design layout into a set of elements, said IC design layout comprising a wiring layer and a substrate, said substrate comprising a non-metal component and a metal component, said metal component comprising a set of through-silicon vias (“TSVs”), each TSV extending through the substrate and conducting an electrical current, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of a portion of a TSV and a portion of the non-metal component; computing an effective thermal conductivity value for each element based on an amount of metal component in each element; and identifying a temperature distribution for the IC design layout based on the computed effective thermal conductivity values. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein a portion of the metal component is a particular TSV. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein a portion of the metal component is a portion of a particular TSV. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of at least two separate portions of the metal component and the portion of the non-metal component. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the sets of instructions for computing the effective thermal conductivity value comprises sets of instructions for using an element model to define a representative element for each element. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a processor for executing sets of instructions; and a memory for storing a computer program for performing thermal analysis of an integrated circuit (“IC”) design layout, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for: dividing the IC design layout into a set of elements, said IC design layout comprising a wiring layer and a substrate, said substrate comprising a set of through-silicon vias (“TSVs”), each TSV extending through the substrate and conducting an electrical current from the wiring layer to circuits outside of the IC; computing conductivity values for each element by using parameterized functions; and identifying a temperature distribution for the IC design layout based on the computed conductivity values. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein least one element comprises a combination of a metal component and a non-metal component of the substrate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the parameterized functions are obtained by carrying out a symbolic integration of a set of finite element equations for a set of metal location parameters. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the parameterized functions use coordinates of the TSV to describe how heat flow at a first node of the element is affected by a temperature change at a second node of the element, each node representing a different vertex of the element. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein at least one element comprises a combination of at least two metal components and a non-metal component of the substrate.