Integrated electronic device comprising a temperature transducer and method for determining an estimate of a temperature difference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016299013-A1
Application number	US-201514958620-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Apr 7, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An integrated electronic device including an electronic component and a temperature transducer formed in a first die. The temperature transducer including a first diode and a second diode which are connected in antiparallel.

First claim

1 . An integrated electronic device, comprising an electronic component and a temperature transducer, which are formed in a first die, said temperature transducer including a first diode and a second diode, which are connected in antiparallel.

2 . The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second diodes are connected between a first and a second conductive terminals, which are electrically accessible.

3 . The integrated electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the first diode is arranged close to an active area of the electrical component; and wherein the second diode is arranged far from the active area of the electrical component.

4 . The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said first and second diodes are electrically insulated from the rest of the first die.

5 . An electronic system, comprising:
an integrated electronic device including an electronic component and a temperature transducer, which are formed in a first die, the temperature transducer including a first diode and a second diode, which are connected in antiparallel; and a control module coupled to the integrated electronic device, the control module comprising:
a current generator configured to inject a current alternatively into the first diode and into the second diode;
a detection circuit configured to detect a first voltage present on the temperature transducer at a first instant where said current is injected into the first diode, and to detect and a second voltage present on the temperature transducer at a second instant where said current is injected into the second diode; and
an estimating unit configured to determine an estimate of the difference between the temperature of the first diode and the temperature of the second diode on the basis of said first and second voltages.

6 . The electronic system according to claim 5 wherein said first instant belongs to a first period of time in which said current is injected into the first diode; and wherein said second instant belongs to a second period of time in which said current is injected into the second diode, said first and second periods of time being contiguous.

7 . The electronic system according to claim 5 wherein the control module further comprises a driving circuit configured to drive the electronic component as a function of said estimate of the difference between the temperature of the first diode and the temperature of the second diode.

8 . The electronic system according to claim 5 wherein said control module is formed in a second die.

9 . The electronic system of claim 5 , wherein the electronic component comprises one of a MOS transistor, JFET transistor, and IGBT transistor.

10 . The electronic system of claim 5 , wherein the detection circuit comprises and analog-to-digital converter.

11 . The electronic system of claim 5 , wherein the estimating unit stores a first law of variation of voltage as a function of temperature for the first diode and a second law of variation of voltage as a function of temperature for the second diode.

12 . The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the estimating unit stores each law of variation as a corresponding look-up table.

13 . The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the first law of variation is the same as the second law of variation.

14 . The electronic system of claim 7 , wherein the estimating unit determines an estimate of the temperature of the first diode at a first time and an estimate of the temperature of the second diode at a second time, and calculates a difference between the temperatures of the first and second diodes to determine an estimate of the gradient of the temperature between the first and second times.

15 . The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein the estimating unit further compares the estimate of the gradient to a limit difference and wherein the driving circuit is configured to drive the electronic component as a function of the limit difference.

16 . The electronic system of claim 15 , wherein the driving circuit continues to drive the electronic component to activate the electronic component in response to the estimate of the gradient being less than the limit difference and wherein the driving circuit drives the electronic component to deactivate the electronic component in response to the estimate of the gradient being greater than or equal to the limit difference.

17 . The electronic system of claim 7 , wherein the driving circuit is further configured to generate a periodic control signal that is applied to alternately activate and thereby inject current into the first and second diodes.

18 . A method, comprising:
injecting a current alternatively into a first diode and into a second antiparallel diode of a temperature transducer; detecting a first voltage present on the temperature transducer at a first instant where said current is injected into the first diode; detecting a second voltage present on the temperature transducer at a second instant where said current is injected into the second diode; and determining an estimate of the difference between the temperature of the first diode and the temperature of the second diode on the basis of said first and second voltages to thereby estimate a difference of temperature within a die containing an electronic component and the temperature transducer.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein said first instant belongs to a first period of time, in which said current is injected into the first diode; and wherein said second instant belongs to a second period of time, in which said current is injected into the second diode, said first and second periods of time being contiguous.

20 . The method according to claim 19 further comprising:
driving said electronic component as a function of said estimate of the difference between the temperature of the first diode and the temperature of the second diode.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Selgi Lorenzo Maurizio
• Patti Davide Giuseppe

Classifications

• H10D84/221

  of only diodes · CPC title

• G01K7/01

  using semiconducting elements having PN junctions (G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01K3/14

  in respect of space · CPC title

• G01K7/015 Primary

  using microstructures, e.g. made of silicon · CPC title

• H01L27/0814

  Electricity · mapped topic