Thermal and Power Management of Integrated Circuits

Thermal modeling of high performance circuits and systems is a crucial component for thermal and power management. The VLSI community is currently lacking a methodology to model and estimate junction temperature at any level of design other than low-level (transistor-level) circuits. The accuracy of thermal modeling has a substantial effect on the accuracy of thermal-management studies at the architectural level. Without this essential modeling capability, architecture researchers are limited to inaccurate estimation techniques, which are not suitable for thermal management of integrated circuits.

In Thermal and Power Management of Integrated Circuits, power and thermal management issues in integrated circuits during normal operating conditions and stress operating conditions are addressed. Thermal management in VLSI circuits is becoming an integral part of the design, test, and manufacturing. Proper thermal management is the key to achieve high performance, quality and reliability. Performance and reliability of integrated circuits are strong functions of the junction temperature. A small increase in junction temperature may result in significant reduction in the device lifetime.

This book reviews the significance of the junction temperature as a reliability measure under nominal and burn-in conditions. The latest research in the area of electro-thermal modeling of integrated circuits will also be presented. Recent models and associated CAD tools are covered and various techniques at the circuit and system levels are reviewed. Subsequently, the authors provide an insight into the concept of thermal runaway and how it may best be avoided. A section on low temperature operation of integrated circuits concludes the book.