A comparative study of thermal measurement techniques currently available to the semiconductor industry

Temperature accelerates many GaAs semiconductor failure mechanisms; therefore accurately determining the junction or channel temperature of a GaAs device is a critical step in gauging its reliability. To that end the purpose of this paper is to illustrate and compare several methods for determining junction temperatures of GaAs semiconductor devices. Techniques such as, finite element modeling, forward diode voltage drop, nematic liquid crystals, thermochromic liquid crystals, and infrared imaging are compared for their benefits and limitations. It is the intent of the paper not to propose one technique over another but to explain each in detail and leave it to the reader to evaluate the technique that is appropriate for the end application.