The Use of Time-Dependent Temperature Response Curves for the Generation of (Dynamic) Compact Thermal Models

The paper presents recent developments in time-dependent (dynamic) compact thermal modeling. Dynamic thermal effects in electronic circuits manifest themselves at all levels from device to system with a serious impact on both reliability and performance especially as the device feature size shrinks below the submicron scale. Design and analysis of electro-thermal systems rely increasingly on compact models due to the ever-increasing problem complexity. Four application fields of dynamic compact thermal models (DCTM’s) are highlighted. The focus of the paper is on practical methods to generate DCTM’s. Three examples are discussed, typical for most package styles: a TQFP (Thin Quad Flat Pack), a BGA (Ball Grid Array) and a power package (SILP). Finally, a method is presented to calibrate detailed models using experimental response curves, thereby eliminating the need for the sometimes unreliable and time-consuming steady state measurements.