Miniaturized BJT-based thermal sensor for microprocessors in 32-and 22-nm technologies

Joseph S. Shor, Kosta Luria

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A thermal sensor is proposed for microprocessors, which compares the BJT voltage to a reference by converting both voltages to frequency and dividing the frequencies to result in a digital number. The sensor has an rms resolution of ±0.2C and an area of 0.02 mm at the 32-nm process node and 0.006 mm at 22 nm, including all digital processing circuitry. The conversion rate is between 2-20 kS/s, which enables it to capture fast transients on the CPU. It consumes 3.8/1.4 mW at 32/22 nm from an unregulated 1.4-V supply. The combination of speed, low power, and area make this sensor appropriate to measure hot-spots in microprocessors.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6605620
Pages (from-to)2860-2867
Number of pages8
JournalIEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
Volume48
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Analog
  • CPU hot-spots
  • Intel
  • microprocessors
  • thermal management
  • thermal sensors

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Miniaturized BJT-based thermal sensor for microprocessors in 32-and 22-nm technologies'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this