Semiconductor Circuit Self-Heating Simulation via Thermal Netlist
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current design processes for semiconductor circuits lack efficient methods to analyze and optimize for self-heating characteristics, which impact device performance and reliability, especially in mobile devices, due to impractical time and cost constraints in early design phases.
Innovation Solution
A simulation system using a circuit simulation tool to calculate power consumption, create thermal netlists, and simulate temperature variations of semiconductor circuit elements, incorporating thermal capacitance and resistance to dynamically assess self-heating effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a dedicated simulator for heat analysis is used, then the accuracy of thermal analysis is improved, but the time and cost consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical circuit simulation and thermal analysis into a single integrated simulation system. The simulation device simultaneously performs both electrical netlist simulation and thermal netlist simulation, combining functions that were previously separated into different dedicated tools. This integration allows thermal analysis to be conducted within the existing electrical simulation workflow without requiring additional dedicated thermal analysis tools, thereby maintaining accuracy while reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation device is designed with multi-functionality to handle both electrical and thermal simulations. It can simulate electrical circuits using electrical netlists and thermal circuits using thermal netlists, making it a universal tool that replaces the need for separate dedicated thermal analysis simulators. This universal approach enables the same device to perform multiple functions (electrical simulation, thermal simulation, and their coupling) without requiring specialized equipment for each function.
2Reliability
If thermal analysis is performed at early design phase, then the reliability of circuit design is improved, but the complexity of design process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary thermal analysis by generating and simulating thermal netlists during the early design phase, before finalizing the electrical circuit design. The thermal netlist is created based on power consumption data from electrical simulation, allowing designers to assess thermal characteristics and make necessary modifications early in the design process. This preliminary action ensures thermal reliability is considered from the beginning rather than as a later check, improving overall design reliability without significantly increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces power consumption data as an intermediary that links electrical and thermal analysis. The power consumption calculated from electrical netlist simulation serves as the heat generation input for thermal netlist simulation. This intermediary approach simplifies the coupling between electrical and thermal domains, as it uses a direct physical relationship (power to heat conversion) rather than requiring complex multi-physics coupling, thereby reducing design process complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Duration of action of moving object
If thermal capacitance information is incorporated, then the dynamic thermal analysis capability is improved, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates thermal capacitance as an additional parameter in the thermal netlist to enable dynamic thermal analysis. By including thermal capacitance values for different circuit elements, the simulation can model transient thermal behavior and time-dependent temperature variations. This parameter addition transforms the thermal analysis from steady-state to dynamic capability, allowing the system to predict how temperatures evolve over time during circuit operation, thereby improving dynamic thermal response capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables optimized circuit design by accurately simulating and addressing self-heating issues, improving performance and reliability of semiconductor circuits while reducing the time and cost associated with heat analysis in early design phases.
Implementation Method 1
calculating power consumptions of elements of the semiconductor circuit... performing a simulation of an operation of the semiconductor circuit with the thermal netlist to detect a temperature of each of the elements
Implementation Method 2
The thermal netlist includes thermal capacitance information of each of the elements... performing a second simulation operation of the semiconductor circuit with the second netlist using the circuit simulation tool to detect temperature variations of the elements
Data Source
AI summary
A method of designing a semiconductor circuit using a circuit simulation tool executed by a computer includes calculating power consumptions of elements of the semiconductor circuit by use of the circuit simulation tool. A thermal netlist is created about the semiconductor circuit, based on the power consumptions and geometry information of each of the elements. A simulation of the semiconductor circuit is performed with the thermal netlist using the circuit simulation tool to detect a temperature of each of the elements. The thermal netlist includes thermal capacitance information of each of the elements.