Dynamic electrothermal macromodeling techniques for thermal-aware design of circuits and systems

Abstract

The applicability of classical macromodeling techniques to dynamic electrothermal analysis is reviewed, with emphasis on specific aspects of the Fourier heat conduction problem. Modeling based on the characterization of thermal multiports is considered, and the identification of corresponding thermal impedances in frequency and time domain is discussed, along with the synthesis of electrical equivalents well suited for standard circuit simulators like SPICE. The presented approach is illustrated through relevant case-studies, namely, two basic analog electronics circuits in state-of-the-art bipolar technologies.