Thermal imaging of microscopic targets has evolved over the past 20 years to the point where real time "true-temperature" mapping with 50 milliKelvin sensitivity and 2.75 �m spatial resolution is possible. Recently, the capability to study and evaluate high frequency transient pulses has been added. Infrared imaging methods provide unequaled ease and flexibility for … [Read more...]
The submerged double jet impingement (SDJI) method for thermal testing of packages
Over the past decades, the functionality of electronic parts has improved considerably. Increasing power requirements of semiconductor chips make it difficult to keep the temperature below the imposed limits. Thermal management of the chip is one of the main functions of the package. To fully characterize the package thermally, numerical simulations and experimental tests are … [Read more...]
Determining the junction temperature in a semiconductor package, part IV – localized heat generation on the die
In the standard thermal test environment, thermal test chips are designed to dissipate the applied power uniformly over most of the die surface. However, in many situations of practical interest, the power is dissipated over a localized area of the die. This column provides calculation methods to deal with the latter situation. Figure 1 illustrates the situation of interest … [Read more...]
Determining the junction temperature in a semiconductor package, part III the use of the junction-to-board thermal characterization parameter
In recent issues, this column has dealt with the use of a number of thermal metrics to calculate the junction temperature of integrated circuits under various conditions. These metrics explored were JA, JC, and JT. To summarize the uses of these metrics: JA represents the junction-to-air thermal resistance for a package tested in an industry-standard test environment. It is … [Read more...]
The history of power dissipation
Figure 1. Transistor counts on Intel processors from inception to present superimposed on Moore's prediction. In his fascinating book, "Visions," Michio Kaku [1] predicts a future driven by silicon and quantum computers. Based on the information we have today, it is intriguing to speculate how such a highly silicon-based society might function and evolve. Being a thermal … [Read more...]
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