Configurable hotspot and temperature monitored on-chip heater array circuit and control method

Abstract

The application discloses a configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit and a control method, relates to the technical field of on-chip heaters, and is characterized in that each heating resistor unit is equipped with an independent heating enable control bit, the heating Force positive and negative end switch of the heating resistor unit is directly controlled through the independent heating enable control bit, independent heating at the unit level is realized, a parasitic current path possibly generated in a multi-point heating process is completely eliminated from the physical switch level, and accurate control of hot spots in any combination is ensured; during the heating process, the Kelvin four-wire measurement path and the heating Force path of each heating resistor unit are separated, the voltage across the target resistor can be measured in real time and the temperature can be accurately calculated without stopping the heating, meanwhile, the measurement of the unheated heating resistor unit is supported, and the accuracy of the measurement and the real-time feedback capability of the system are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of on-chip heater technology, and in particular to an on-chip heater array circuit and control method with configurable hot spots and temperature monitoring. Background Technology

[0002] In the fields of integrated circuits, sensors, MEMS devices, power devices, on-chip thermal management, and reliability testing, it is often necessary to generate controllable heat sources on chips to simulate local hot spots, evaluate heat diffusion paths, calibrate temperature sensors, extract thermal coupling parameters, or verify thermal management algorithms.

[0003] On-chip hotspots are typically generated through resistive heating. Common heating elements include polysilicon resistors, metal resistors, diffused resistors, or other CMOS-compatible resistor structures. Among these, polysilicon offers advantages such as good process compatibility, customizable resistance values, relatively stable thermal response, and integration with standard CMOS processes, making it suitable as an on-chip heating and temperature-sensitive unit. To obtain a two-dimensional programmable temperature distribution, multiple heating resistor units can be arranged into an N×M array.

[0004] An on-chip heater array refers to an array of multiple heating resistor units located inside a chip or in a test structure. It can generate localized heat sources through external current or voltage excitation, forming controllable hot spots for chip thermal management, temperature sensor calibration, thermal coupling testing, or reliability experiments. Ideally, each heating unit should be independently controllable, enabling the system to generate single-point hot spots, multi-point hot spots, edge hot spots, center hot spots, diagonal hot spots, sparse hot spots, regional hot spots, or arbitrarily complex hot spot patterns. Simultaneously, to achieve closed-loop temperature control and thermal model calibration, it is also necessary to be able to measure the structure or voltage of each heating resistor to calculate its temperature. Row-column shared heating arrays typically arrange multiple heating resistor units in a two-dimensional matrix, with each unit connected to external instruments or on-chip drive circuitry via row and column wires. By selecting specific row and column lines, the heating resistors at corresponding intersections can be turned on. The main problem with this type of structure lies in the row-column coupling during multi-point parallel heating. When multiple row-direction and column-direction conductors are active simultaneously, current paths may form at the intersections of all active row and column lines. This means that in addition to the intended target unit, some non-target units may also be heated, causing distortion in the location of hot spots and the magnitude of temperature rise. Furthermore, in existing heating arrays, the measurement path and heating path are not separated, or the operating mode needs to be switched during measurement, making it difficult to measure the resistance being heated accurately and in real time. Therefore, how to solve the technical problem of non-target intersections forming current paths due to simultaneous row and column activation when on-chip heater arrays heat multiple target locations simultaneously, resulting in distortion of hot spot locations and the magnitude of temperature rise, as well as insufficient real-time temperature measurement capability, is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit and control method to solve the technical problem that when existing on-chip heater arrays heat multiple target locations simultaneously, non-target intersection locations may also form current paths due to the simultaneous effectiveness of rows and columns, resulting in distortion of hot spot location and temperature rise amplitude and insufficient real-time temperature measurement capability.

[0006] In view of this, the first aspect of the present invention provides a Miller capacitance modeling method for the switching process of an IGBT device, including an N×M on-chip heating resistor array, an independent heating enable register, a measurement Force selection register, and a Kelvin Sense selection register. Each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array is configured with a heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, a measurement Force positive and negative terminal switch, and a Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch, where N and M are both positive integers greater than 0.

[0007] The independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register are connected to each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array via heating force positive and negative terminals switches, measurement force positive and negative terminals switches, and Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminals switches, respectively. Each enable control bit of the independent heating enable register corresponds to one heating resistor unit. The measurement force select register and Kelvin Sense select register adopt an encoding method that measures only one heating resistor unit at a time.

[0008] Optionally, an external current source may also be included;

[0009] An external current source is connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array to provide heating and / or measurement current to the target heating resistor unit.

[0010] Optionally, it also includes an external high-resistance voltage measurement module;

[0011] An external high-resistance voltage measurement module is connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array to read the voltage signal across the target heating resistor unit and calculate the real-time temperature of the target heating resistor unit based on the voltage signal across the target heating resistor unit.

[0012] Optionally, it may also include a control module;

[0013] The control module includes an external controller, a digital control interface, and a command parsing module;

[0014] The external controller is used to generate heating matrix information and measurement selection information and send them to the digital control interface;

[0015] The digital control interface is used to receive information from an external controller and send it to the command parsing module;

[0016] The command parsing module is used to parse the received information and send corresponding control commands to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register based on the parsing results.

[0017] Optionally, it also includes a global reset module;

[0018] The global reset module is connected to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the KelvinSense selection register, respectively, and is used to reset the status of the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the KelvinSense selection register.

[0019] Optionally, the heating resistor unit may be a polycrystalline silicon resistor, a metal resistor, a diffused resistor, a thin film resistor, or a silicide resistor.

[0020] Optionally, the heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, the measurement Force positive and negative terminal switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch are made of CMOS transmission gate, single NMOS switch, single PMOS switch, high voltage MOS switch, low leakage current analog switch, LDMOS switch, or MEMS switch.

[0021] Optionally, the Force select register and Kelvin Sense select register are measured using one-hot encoding.

[0022] Optionally, the heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, the measuring Force positive and negative terminal switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch are all connected in series with a reverse current suppression circuit.

[0023] A second aspect of the present invention provides a control method for an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring as described in any of the first aspects, comprising:

[0024] Reset the independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register to zero;

[0025] The independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register control the corresponding heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array to turn on according to the control command, measure the voltage across the target heating resistor unit, and calculate the temperature of the target heating resistor unit.

[0026] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring provided by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0027] The present invention provides an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring. Each heating resistor unit is equipped with an independent heating enable control bit. The independent heating enable control bit directly controls the positive and negative terminals of the heating force of the heating resistor unit, realizing independent heating at the unit level. This completely eliminates parasitic current paths that may be generated during multi-point heating from the physical switch level, ensuring precise control of any combination of hotspots. During heating, the Kelvin four-wire measurement path of each heating resistor unit is separated from the heating force path. The voltage across the target resistor can be measured in real time and the temperature can be accurately calculated without stopping heating. At the same time, it supports the measurement of unheated heating resistor units, ensuring the accuracy of the measurement and the real-time feedback capability of the system. This solves the technical problem of existing on-chip heater arrays where, when heating multiple target positions simultaneously, current paths may form at non-target intersection positions due to the simultaneous effectiveness of rows and columns, causing distortion of hotspot location and temperature rise amplitude and insufficient real-time temperature measurement capability. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the heating resistor unit of an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is another schematic diagram of an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a control flowchart of an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring, provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] For easier understanding, please refer to Figure 1 This invention provides an embodiment of an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring, including an N×M on-chip heating resistor array, an independent heating enable register, a measurement force selection register, and a Kelvin Sense selection register. Each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array is configured with a heating force positive and negative terminal switch, a measurement force positive and negative terminal switch, and a Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch, where N and M are both positive integers greater than 0.

[0036] The independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register are connected to each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array via heating force positive and negative terminals switches, measurement force positive and negative terminals switches, and Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminals switches, respectively. Each enable control bit of the independent heating enable register corresponds to one heating resistor unit. The measurement force select register and Kelvin Sense select register adopt an encoding method that measures only one heating resistor unit at a time.

[0037] It should be noted that for an N×M on-chip resistor array, the independent heating enable register includes N×M enable control bits. Each enable control bit corresponds to a heating resistor unit in the N×M on-chip resistor array. Any one or more enable control bits can be active simultaneously, thus forming arbitrary hotspot patterns. Each enable control bit directly controls the positive and negative terminals of the corresponding heating resistor unit's heating force switch. If a certain enable control bit in the independent heating enable register is active, the positive and negative terminals of the corresponding heating resistor unit's heating force switch are simultaneously turned on; if a certain enable control bit is inactive, the positive and negative terminals of the corresponding heating resistor unit's heating force switch are turned off, causing the unselected heating resistor unit to be disconnected at the physical switch level. For example, for an N×M array, the register width is N×M bits, using row-major mapping: the k-th bit corresponds to the unit in the i-th row and j-th column, k = i×M + j. When a register bit is written with "1", the target unit's heating force switch is turned on; when written with "0", it remains off. By writing the entire register at once, arbitrary combinations of hotspot control can be achieved, eliminating the need for external controllers to operate row by row and column by column.

[0038] Heating Force Path: Refers to the current drive path used to apply current to the heating resistor.

[0039] Measurement Force Path: Refers to the current drive path used to apply current to the measuring resistor.

[0040] Force line (or current excitation line): The connecting line responsible for injecting a constant current into the resistor being measured.

[0041] The Measurement Force Selection Register is used to determine the heating resistor unit connected to the measurement current path. The Measurement Force Selection Register typically receives the address of the heating resistor unit being measured, written externally, and converts it into a selection signal for the corresponding heating resistor unit, ensuring that the measurement current is applied only to the target heating resistor unit and not to other heating resistor units. Both the Measurement Force Selection Register and the Kelvin Sense Selection Register employ a coding method that measures only one heating resistor unit at a time; that is, only one heating resistor unit is allowed to be selected at any given time. This avoids parallel errors, current shunting errors, or measurement result distortion caused by multiple heating resistor units simultaneously connected to the measurement circuit. Preferably, the Measurement Force Selection Register uses a one-hot encoding method.

[0042] Sense line (or voltage sensing line): A connecting line used to accurately measure the voltage drop across the resistor being measured.

[0043] Kelvin Sense (also known as Kelvin detection) path: refers to the Kelvin voltage sampling path, which is the voltage detection path in four-wire measurement.

[0044] The Kelvin Sense selection register is used to determine the heating resistor unit connected to the high-resistance measurement path. Specifically, the Kelvin Sense selection register receives the address of the target heating resistor unit, decodes it into a corresponding selection signal, and allows the voltage across the target heating resistor unit to be drawn to the high-resistance voltage measurement module. Since the Kelvin Sense path ideally only samples voltage and does not carry significant current, it effectively reduces the influence of wire resistance, contact resistance, and switch on-resistance on the measurement results. The Kelvin Sense path can be used for both conventional resistance measurement of unheated heating resistor units and real-time voltage detection of heating resistor units, making it a key module for achieving four-wire measurement during heating and improving temperature monitoring accuracy.

[0045] The Force path can be used for small current measurements of unheated resistance heating elements, while the Kelvin Sense path can be used for voltage measurements of both unheated and heating resistance heating elements. For a heating resistance heating element that is being heated, the Kelvin Sense path is connected across its resistor, and an external high-resistance voltmeter reads the voltage, thus enabling Kelvin four-wire measurements during heating.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, each heating resistor unit consists of a heating resistor and three independent switch paths: a heating Force path, a measurement Force path, and a Kelvin Sense path. The six switches in each heating resistor unit are: heating Force positive terminal, heating Force negative terminal, measurement Force positive terminal, measurement Force negative terminal, Kelvin Sense positive terminal, and Kelvin Sense negative terminal. Independent control logic ensures that each path functions independently and without interference. The heating Force path carries the heating current (mA level) and is turned on by the positive and negative terminal switches, which are preferably MOS transmission gates. The conduction of the heating Force positive and negative terminal switches is controlled by the unit's corresponding independent heating enable bit. Only when this bit is valid are the positive and negative terminals turned on simultaneously, disconnecting non-target units and eliminating parasitic current at its source. The measurement Force path carries a small measurement current (μA level) and selects the target unit through the positive and negative terminal switches. The Kelvin Sense path acquires the voltage across the resistor through a high-impedance voltage measurement terminal, enabling real-time measurement of both heated and unheated units.

[0047] In this embodiment of the invention, the independent heating enable register works in conjunction with the measurement Force selection register and the Kelvin Sense selection register. Through a decoder or selection logic, the control signal directly drives the unit switch, enabling multi-point parallel heating and measurement. The register output is directly connected to the switch stack, achieving independent control at the physical level without relying on row-column cross-decoding logic.

[0048] In traditional row-column shared passive matrices (referring to a matrix structure where cross-point cells are selected through row and column lines), parasitic current paths can occur when heating multiple points, leading to reduced hotspot control accuracy due to non-target cell conduction. This invention directly controls the positive and negative terminals of the heating force of each heating resistor cell using an independent heating enable control bit. Only the target heating resistor cell conducts, forming a complete current loop; unselected heating resistor cells are switched off, physically cutting off potential parasitic paths. Even if the row and column buses are still shared, non-target cells cannot form conduction paths, fundamentally eliminating the parasitic current problem in multi-point heating.

[0049] For the target heating resistor unit being heated, an external or on-chip current source provides heating current through the heating force path. The Kelvin Sense path is simultaneously selected, and the high-resistance voltage measurement terminal acquires the voltage across the resistor, enabling Kelvin four-wire measurement. The measured voltage... With known heating current The ratio of the two values ​​can be used to calculate the resistance. The temperature can be further determined based on the temperature coefficient of resistance or a pre-calibrated curve. Because the Kelvin Sense circuit uses high-resistance voltage measurement, it does not significantly affect the heating current, thus ensuring real-time temperature measurement accuracy.

[0050] An unheated heating resistor unit can be supplied with a small measuring current through the measuring force path. The KelvinSense circuit acquires voltage to achieve resistance measurement. The measurement formula is as follows: The Force and KelvinSense measurements employ one-hot encoding to ensure that only one cell is selected at a time, improving measurement accuracy and avoiding interference from non-target cells.

[0051] Meanwhile, the configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided in this embodiment of the invention can achieve arbitrary combination hot spot control, eliminate parasitic current paths during multi-point heating, and support Kelvin four-wire voltage measurement of the target heating resistor unit during the heating process, without significantly increasing the number of chip PADs (pads) and the number of switches per unit in on-chip heater arrays of different array sizes.

[0052] Taking a 4×4 array as an example, a total of 26 PADs are used. The number of PADs for a general N×M array is also as follows:

[0053] Heating Force Row PADs: 4 in total, used to provide heating current access terminals or row-side heating bus interfaces to each row of the array.

[0054] Heating Force Column PADs: 4 in total, used as heating return terminals or column-side heating bus interfaces for each column of the array.

[0055] Measurement Force Row PADs: 4 in total, used to provide a small current measurement excitation interface to the row where the unit under test is located.

[0056] The Force column PADs (4 in total) are used as return interfaces for measuring the current of the unit under test.

[0057] Kelvin Sense Positive PAD: 1 unit, used to connect to the positive sampling port of the high-impedance voltage measurement module.

[0058] Kelvin Sense Negative PAD: 1 unit, used to connect to the negative sampling port of the high-impedance voltage measurement module.

[0059] SPI interface PAD: 4, used to receive control commands, configure registers, and read back status. The ports are as follows: (1) SCLK: serial clock input (2) MOSI / SDI: master output, slave input, used to write commands and parameters (3) MISO / SDO: master input, slave output, used to read back register status (4) CS_N / chip select: chip select signal, used to identify a complete command frame.

[0060] Power / Ground PADs: 4, used to power analog and digital circuits and provide ground references.

[0061] Please see Figure 3 In one embodiment, the configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided by the present invention further includes an external current source connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array, used to provide heating and / or measurement current to the target heating resistor unit. In heating mode, the external current source provides a large heating current or heating voltage to the target heating resistor unit to generate Joule heat and form a local hot spot; in measurement mode, the external current source can also provide a smaller measurement current for low self-heating measurement of the target resistance. The external current source can be provided by external test instruments, such as a current meter, constant current source, or constant voltage source, or by a current source, current-to-analog converter, or power drive circuit integrated within the chip. Its function is to provide controllable, settable, and repeatable excitation conditions for heating and measurement, and is the energy basis for realizing hot spot generation and resistance measurement.

[0062] The configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided by this invention also includes an external high-resistance voltage measurement module. This module is connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array and is used to read the voltage signal across the target heating resistor unit. Based on this voltage signal, the real-time temperature of the target heating resistor unit is calculated. The external high-resistance voltage measurement module can be an external high-precision voltmeter, instrumentation amplifier, analog-to-digital converter, or a high-input-impedance sampling circuit integrated within the chip. Its main function is to accurately obtain the voltage across the resistor without affecting the operating state of the measured unit, and further calculate the resistance value using the known current. Then, the current temperature is calculated based on the resistance-temperature relationship. Therefore, the external high-resistance voltage measurement module is a crucial measurement foundation for realizing real-time monitoring, closed-loop control, and temperature inversion calculation.

[0063] The configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided by this invention also includes a control module. The control module includes an external controller, a digital control interface, and a command parsing module. The external controller is used to generate heating matrix information and measurement selection information and send them to the digital control interface. The digital control interface is used to receive information sent by the external controller and send it to the command parsing module. The command parsing module is used to parse the received information and send corresponding control commands to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register according to the parsing results.

[0064] The digital control interface establishes a data communication channel between the external controller and the on-chip control logic. Its main function is to receive control commands, configuration data, and address information sent from the external controller and transmit this information to the on-chip control system. This interface preferably uses SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), but it can also be replaced with I²C, Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter, JTAG, or on-chip register bus interfaces depending on the application. The introduction of the digital control interface enables the external host chip, host computer, or testing instrument to quickly write to the heating matrix, select the unit under test, set the sampling object, and issue reset commands, thereby achieving automated and programmable hotspot control and temperature monitoring. Its role is not only to transmit data but also to serve as a crucial entry point for the entire array system to achieve flexible configuration and dynamic reconfiguration.

[0065] The SPI interface is used as the digital control interface. The command length is 32 bits, including the high 8 bits of the function code, the low 16 bits of parameters, and reserved bits. The function code indicates the operation type, including writing to the heating matrix, selecting the measurement Force unit, selecting the Sense unit, or performing a global reset. Examples of preferred SPI commands are shown in Table 1.

[0066] Table 1

[0067]

[0068] For larger arrays, the command bit width can be expanded or full array control can be achieved through multi-frame writing. An external controller can quickly write arbitrary hotspot patterns via a digital control interface, enabling dynamic hotspot control and automated measurement.

[0069] The command parsing module is used to identify, split, and distribute command data input from the digital control interface. It reads the function code, address field, and parameter field from the command and writes the corresponding information to the independent heating enable register, measurement force selection register, or Kelvin Sense selection register based on the command type. In other words, the digital control interface is responsible for sending in commands, while the command parsing module is responsible for understanding and executing them. For example, when a heating matrix write command is received, the command parsing module writes the parameters to the independent heating enable register; when a measurement address set command is received, the corresponding address is sent to the measurement force selection register. This module's role is to translate external abstract control instructions into specific on-chip control actions, serving as a core intermediate layer connecting external control logic and internal execution logic.

[0070] The configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided by this invention also includes a global reset module. This global reset module is connected to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register, respectively, and is used to reset the states of these registers. The global reset module restores all on-chip control states to a preset safe state upon system power-on, abnormal operation, mode switching, or test completion. This module can clear the independent heating enable register, stopping all heating units; simultaneously, it resets the measurement force selection state and the Kelvin Sense selection state, disconnecting all measurement-related paths. The main function of this module is to prevent unexpected conduction during power-on, misoperation, or communication abnormalities, avoiding localized overheating, unintended heating, measurement conflicts, or chip damage. For the patented solution, the global reset module also improves system controllability and engineering safety, making the entire device more suitable for chip testing, thermal calibration, and batch applications.

[0071] The control flow of the configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided by this invention is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes:

[0072] (1) Power on or reset the system;

[0073] (2) Clear the on-chip registers and disconnect all switches;

[0074] (3) The external controller sends 32-bit commands via SPI;

[0075] (4) The SPI interface receives commands and generates cmd_valid (cmd_valid is a command validity indication signal generated by the digital control interface after successfully receiving a complete and correctly formatted control command. In this invention, the external controller sends serial command data to the chip through the SPI interface. After the SPI interface completes the reception, verification or frame end recognition of the specified number of data bits, it outputs the cmd_valid signal to the command parsing module to notify the command parsing module that "the current command has been received and can be executed").

[0076] (5) The command parsing module reads the function code;

[0077] (6) If the function code is 0x10, then write the 16-bit heating matrix;

[0078] (7) If the function code is 0x20, write the measurement Force address and decode it as one-hot;

[0079] (8) If the function code is 0x30, write it to the Kelvin Sense address and decode it as one-hot;

[0080] (9) If the function code is 0xD0, then clear all registers;

[0081] (10) For the heating unit, an external source meter applies ;

[0082] (11) For the measurement unit, an external measurement source applies ;

[0083] (12) An external high-resistance voltmeter reads the voltage between Sense_P and Sense_N. Sense_P represents the positive terminal sampling node in the Kelvin voltage measurement path, where "P" stands for positive. This node is connected to one end of the target heating resistor unit through the Kelvin Sense selection network to send the potential of that end to the high-resistance voltage measurement module. Sense_N represents the negative terminal sampling node in the Kelvin voltage measurement path, where "N" stands for negative. This node is connected to the other end of the target heating resistor unit through the Kelvin Sense selection network, and together with Sense_P, forms a complete differential voltage sampling pair.

[0084] (13) According to Calculate the resistance value using a known current;

[0085] (14) Calculate the temperature based on the resistance-temperature calibration curve;

[0086] (15) Continue to send the next SPI command as needed to update the hotspot pattern or poll the measurement unit.

[0087] In one embodiment, the heating resistor unit is a polycrystalline silicon resistor, a metal resistor, a diffusion resistor, a thin film resistor, or a silicide resistor.

[0088] The heating force positive and negative terminals switch, the measurement force positive and negative terminals switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminals switch employ CMOS transmission gates, single NMOS switches, single PMOS switches, high-voltage MOS switches, low-leakage analog switches, LDMOS switches, or MEMS switches. The heating force path preferably uses low on-resistance devices, while the Kelvin Sense path preferably uses low-leakage devices.

[0089] The Force select register and Kelvin Sense select register are measured using one-hot encoding.

[0090] The heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, the measuring Force positive and negative terminal switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch are all connected in series with a reverse current suppression circuit, such as a diode, a diode-connected MOS, a back-to-back MOS, an isolating switch, or a direction limiting structure.

[0091] The present invention provides an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring. Each heating resistor unit is equipped with an independent heating enable control bit. The independent heating enable control bit directly controls the positive and negative terminals of the heating force of the heating resistor unit, realizing independent heating at the unit level. This completely eliminates parasitic current paths that may be generated during multi-point heating from the physical switch level, ensuring precise control of any combination of hotspots. During heating, the Kelvin four-wire measurement path of each heating resistor unit is separated from the heating force path. The voltage across the target resistor can be measured in real time and the temperature can be accurately calculated without stopping heating. At the same time, it supports the measurement of unheated heating resistor units, ensuring the accuracy of the measurement and the real-time feedback capability of the system. This solves the technical problem of existing on-chip heater arrays where, when heating multiple target positions simultaneously, current paths may form at non-target intersection positions due to the simultaneous effectiveness of rows and columns, causing distortion of hotspot location and temperature rise amplitude and insufficient real-time temperature measurement capability.

[0092] For easier understanding, please refer to Figure 5 This invention provides a control method for an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring, comprising:

[0093] Step 101: Reset the independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register to zero.

[0094] Step 102: The independent heating enable register, measurement force selection register, and Kelvin Sense selection register control the corresponding heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array to turn on according to the control command, measure the voltage across the target heating resistor unit, and calculate the temperature of the target heating resistor unit.

[0095] The control method for the configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided in this invention is applied to the configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided in this invention. Its principle is the same as that of the configurable hot spot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit provided in this invention, and will not be described again here.

[0096] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring on-chip heater array circuit, characterized in that, It includes an N×M on-chip heating resistor array, an independent heating enable register, a measurement force selection register, and a Kelvin Sense selection register. Each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array is equipped with a heating force positive and negative terminal switch, a measurement force positive and negative terminal switch, and a Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch. N and M are both integers greater than 0. The independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register are connected to each heating resistor unit on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array via heating force positive and negative terminals switches, measurement force positive and negative terminals switches, and Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminals switches, respectively. Each enable control bit of the independent heating enable register corresponds to one heating resistor unit. The measurement force select register and Kelvin Sense select register adopt an encoding method that selects only one heating resistor unit at a time.

2. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an external current source; An external current source is connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array to provide heating and / or measurement current to the target heating resistor unit.

3. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an external high-resistance voltage measurement module; An external high-resistance voltage measurement module is connected to an N×M on-chip heating resistor array to read the voltage signal across the target heating resistor unit and calculate the real-time temperature of the target heating resistor unit based on the voltage signal across the target heating resistor unit.

4. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control module; The control module includes an external controller, a digital control interface, and a command parsing module; The external controller is used to generate heating matrix information and measurement selection information and send them to the digital control interface; The digital control interface is used to receive information from an external controller and send it to the command parsing module; The command parsing module is used to parse the received information and send corresponding control commands to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register based on the parsing results.

5. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, It also includes a global reset module; The global reset module is connected to the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register, respectively, and is used to reset the status of the independent heating enable register, the measurement force selection register, and the Kelvin Sense selection register.

6. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating resistor unit uses polycrystalline silicon resistors, metal resistors, diffusion resistors, thin film resistors, or silicide resistors.

7. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, the measuring Force positive and negative terminal switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch employ CMOS transmission gates, single NMOS switches, single PMOS switches, high-voltage MOS switches, low-leakage analog switches, or MEMS switches.

8. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Force select register and Kelvin Sense select register are measured using one-hot encoding.

9. The on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating Force positive and negative terminal switch, the measuring Force positive and negative terminal switch, and the Kelvin Sense positive and negative terminal switch are all connected in series with a reverse current suppression circuit.

10. A control method for an on-chip heater array circuit with configurable hotspot and temperature monitoring as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: Reset the independent heating enable register, measurement force select register, and Kelvin Sense select register to zero; The independent heating enable register, measurement force selection register, and Kelvin Sense selection register control the corresponding heating resistor units on the N×M on-chip heating resistor array to be turned on according to control commands; Measure the voltage across the target heating resistor unit and calculate the temperature of the target heating resistor unit.

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