Design issues of a multi-functional intelligent thermal test die

Thermal characterization of IC packages and packaging technologies is becoming a key task in thermal engineering. To support this by measurements, we developed a family of thermal test chips that allows a wide range of possible applications. Our chips are based on the same basic cell that is mainly covered by dissipating resistors and also contains a frequency output temperature sensor. These basic cells are organized into arrays of different size. The arrays are designed so that larger arrays can also be built for tiling up larger package cavities. The first member of the family, TMC81, has been manufactured and measurements show that the goals aimed for at the design stage have been achieved.