Using Variations in the Frequency of a Ring Oscillator to Measure the Thermal Resistance of Digital Integrated Circuits

Resumo

We propose using logic-element time delay as a temperature-sensitive parameter to measure the thermal resistance of digital integrated circuits. We show that the frequency of a ring oscillator constructed using logic elements is inversely proportional to the signal delay time and is a linearly decreasing function of the temperature. We describe a technique for measuring the thermal resistance of a digital integrated circuit as it is heated by its own power consumption.