CMOS differential and absolute thermal sensors

This paper treats the test of CMOS digital ICs by using the thermal mapping of the silicon surface as a test observable. Two different temperature-sensing strategies are presented. The novel sensors developed are an on-chip CMOS Differential Temperature (DT) sensor and a Proportional to Absolute Temperature (PTAT) sensor. The sensors are small, robust, effective, and operate without affecting the circuit performance. The sensors have been implemented in a standard .18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology.