Temperature Profiling Circuit Using NBTI Instead of Counters

The patent replaces the mechanical/electronic counting system (long counters and non-volatile memory) with a transistor-based physical effect system. Transistors are biased at different gate-source voltages corresponding to different temperature sub-ranges, and their degradation rates under negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) effects naturally record the time spent in each temperature range. This substitution eliminates the need for complex counting hardware while achieving the same temperature profiling function.

The patent changes the operating parameter from electrical counting signals to transistor degradation characteristics. By biasing transistors at different gate-source voltages and utilizing their different NBTI degradation rates, the system encodes time information in the physical degradation state of the transistors rather than in electrical counts. This parameter transformation simplifies the system architecture while maintaining profiling accuracy.

The patent replaces resource-intensive counting hardware (long counters and non-volatile memory) with a transistor-based system that uses physical degradation effects to store temperature profile data. This substitution dramatically reduces the quantity of components needed while maintaining the ability to track time spent in different temperature ranges.

The transistors themselves serve as both the computational element and the storage medium. Their NBTI degradation process automatically records the temperature profile information without requiring external memory devices or counters. The transistors perform both the temperature sensing and data storage functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate resource-consuming components.