High Resolution Thermal Imaging System For Thermal Design, Validation, and Failure Analysis of High Performance Digital and Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits

在当今的集成电路（IC）中，日益增长的复杂性和对多功能和速度的持续强调导致了晶体管数量的指数增长和器件几何形状的缩小。因此，功耗迅速增加，导致更高的热通量，更高的温度和更大的温度梯度。关键是，高性能数字和射频（RF） ic的功耗水平正在接近冷却极限。这种“热危机”对集成电路的性能、可靠性、成本和便携性提出了重大挑战。因此，高性能集成电路的设计需要从以电为中心转向电热设计过程，在设计的早期阶段就考虑热方面，以确保预期的性能和可靠性。

The growing complexity and continued emphasis on multi-functionality and speed in today's integrated circuits (IC) has led to exponentially increased transistor counts and shrinking device geometries. Consequently, power dissipation is rapidly increasing, leading to higher heat fluxes, higher temperatures and larger temperature gradients. Critically, power dissipation levels in high-performance digital and radio-frequency (RF) ICs are approaching the cooling limit. Such a "thermal crisis" imposes significant challenges on IC performance, reliability, cost and portability. Hence, the design of high performance ICs needs to shift from electric-centric to electro-thermal design processes where the thermal aspects are considered at an early stage of the design to ensure the anticipated performance and reliability.