System and method for thermal monitoring of IC using sampling periods of invariant duration

A system and method are provided for monitoring temperature within a specified integrated circuit. Usefully, the system comprises at least one oscillator device proximate to the integrated circuit for generating signal pulses at a frequency that varies as a function of the temperature adjacent to th...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser:	LAZARUS ASHER SHLOMO, MONWAI BRIAN CHAN, FLOYD MICHAEL STEPHEN
Format:	Patent
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS CALCULATING COMPUTING COUNTING ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ELECTRICITY GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS MEASURING MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT MEASURING TEMPERATURE PHYSICS SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS TESTING THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:	A system and method are provided for monitoring temperature within a specified integrated circuit. Usefully, the system comprises at least one oscillator device proximate to the integrated circuit for generating signal pulses at a frequency that varies as a function of the temperature adjacent to the oscillator device. The system further comprises a control unit for establishing sample acquisition periods of invariant time duration based on an time invariant reference clock. A sampling component is coupled to count the number of pulses generated by the oscillator device during each of a succession of the time invariant sample acquisition periods, and a threshold component responsive to the respective count values for the succession of sample acquisition periods provides notice when at least some of the count values have a value associated with a prespecified excessive temperature level.