Discrete-Time Thermal Control Loop for Ripple-Stable Heating Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges in scaling down integrated circuits (ICs) while maintaining manufacturing complexity and efficiency, requiring advancements in IC design, processing, and thermal management systems that are not adequately addressed by existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A discrete time loop based control system utilizing digital circuitry, including a modulator, error amplifier, discrete time controller, quantizer, and switched heating array, which tracks a desired temperature setting and stabilizes the control loop by adjusting operational frequency and integrating a switched capacitor bank, suppressing temperature ripple and filtering quantizer noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If discrete time loop based control system is used instead of analog circuitry, then space savings and manufacturing efficiency are improved, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces analog circuitry with a discrete time loop based control system using digital circuitry. This substitution eliminates the need for complex analog components while achieving equivalent thermal control functionality, thereby reducing space requirements and improving manufacturing efficiency despite the inherent complexity of digital implementation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by adjusting operational frequency and using a switched capacitor bank to integrate and filter signals. These parameter adjustments enable the digital control system to achieve stable thermal control with reduced ripple, resolving the complexity issue while maintaining the space savings advantage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If operational frequency is adjusted and switched capacitor bank is integrated, then temperature ripple is suppressed and control stability is improved, but circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action through adjusted operational frequency to stabilize the control loop. By operating at optimized frequency intervals, the system achieves stable thermal control and suppresses temperature ripple without requiring excessively complex circuitry, as the periodic operation simplifies the control algorithm.
Solution Approach 2:
The switched capacitor bank acts as an intermediary element that integrates and filters quantizer noise while suppressing temperature ripple. This intermediary component enables stable control with reduced complexity compared to implementing complex filtering algorithms in pure digital logic.
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
This approach enables efficient thermal management with space savings, meeting or exceeding the performance of equivalent analog circuitry while allowing for precise control of heating elements, applicable beyond thermal control to other tracking systems.
Implementation Method 1
a heating array coupled to the multiple bits quantizer, wherein the heating array is configured to generate heat based on the digital code output
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, a circuit includes: an error amplifier; a temperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to the error amplifier; a discrete time controller coupled to the error amplifier, wherein the discrete time controller comprises digital circuitry; a multiple bits quantizer coupled to the discrete time controller, wherein the multiple bits quantizer produces a digital code output; and a heating array coupled to the multiple bits quantizer, wherein the heating array is configured to generate heat based on the digital code output.