Auto-compensating temperature valve controller for electro-rheological fluid micro-channel cooled integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9257366-B2
Application number	US-201314068056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2013
Priority date	Oct 31, 2013
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A structure and method of using the structure. The structure including an integrated circuit chip having a set of micro-channels; an electro-rheological coolant fluid filling the micro-channels; first and second parallel channel electrodes on opposite sides of at least one micro-channel, the first channel electrode connected to an output of an auto-compensating temperature control circuit, the second channel electrode connected to ground; the auto-compensating temperature control circuit comprising a temperature stable current source connected between a positive voltage rail and the output and having a temperature sensitive circuit connected between ground and the output, a leakage current of the temperature stable current source being essentially insensitive to temperature and a leakage current of the temperature sensitive circuit increasing with temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structure comprising:
an integrated circuit chip having a set of micro-channels;
an electro-rheological coolant fluid filling said micro-channels;
first and second parallel channel electrodes on opposite sides of at least one micro-channel, said first channel electrode connected to an output of an auto-compensating temperature control circuit, said second channel electrode connected to ground; and
said auto-compensating temperature control circuit comprising a temperature stable current source connected between a positive voltage rail and said output and having a temperature sensitive circuit connected between ground and said output, a leakage current of said temperature stable current source being essentially insensitive to temperature and a leakage current of said temperature sensitive circuit increasing with temperature.

2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET, a gate and a source of said PFET connected to said positive voltage rail and a drain of said PFET connected to said output.

3. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said temperature stable current source comprises a bandgap voltage source, an output of said bandgap voltage source connected to said output.

4. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said temperature sensitive current source is an NFET biased below pinch-off, a drain of said NFET connected to said output, a gate and a source of said NFET connected to ground and a body of said NFET connected to a body bias voltage signal.

5. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said temperature sensitive current source comprises a set of n NFETs, each NFET of said set of NFETs biased below pinch off, drain of each NFET of said set of NFETs connected to said output, a source of each NFET of said set of NFETs connected to ground and a gate each NFET of said set of said NFETs connected to a select bias voltage signal.

6. The structure of claim 1 , wherein:
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET and one or more current mirror PFETS, sources of said PFET and said one more mirror PFETs connected to said positive voltage rail, gates of said PFET and said mirror PFETs and a drain of said PFET connected to ground through a temperature compensated current source, drains of said one or more mirror PFETs connected to a respective output of said auto-compensating temperature control circuit; and
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET, a gate of and as source of said PFET connected to said positive voltage rail and a drain of said PFET connected to said output.

7. The structure of claim 1 , wherein:
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET and one or more current mirror PFETS, sources of said PFET and said one more mirror PFETs connected to said positive voltage rail, gates of said PFET and said mirror PFETs and a drain of said PFET connected to ground through a temperature compensated current source, drains of said one or more mirror PFETs connected to a respective output of said auto-compensating temperature control circuit; and
said temperature stable current source comprises a bandgap voltage source, an output of said bandgap voltage source connected to said output.

8. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said coolant is an electro-rheological fluid having a lower viscosity in the absence of an electric field and a higher viscosity in the presence of an electric field.

9. The structure of claim 1 , wherein said micro-channels are formed in a semiconductor layer proximate to a backside of said integrated circuit chip and functional circuits and said auto-compensating temperature control circuit are formed in said semiconductor layer of said integrated circuit chip proximate to a frontside of said integrated circuit chip.

10. The structure of claim 1 , further including:
opposite ends of said micro-channels connected to first and second reservoirs in said semiconductor layer proximate to said backside of said integrated circuit chip;
means for circulating said electro-rheological coolant fluid from said first reservoir, through unblocked micro-channels to said second reservoir and back to said first reservoir; and
means for cooling said electro-rheological coolant fluid.

11. A method, comprising
providing an integrated circuit chip comprising:
a set of micro-channels;
an electro-rheological coolant fluid filling said micro-channels;
first and second parallel channel electrodes on opposite sides of at least one micro-channel, said first channel electrode connected to an output of an auto-compensating temperature control circuit, said second channel electrode connected to ground; and
said auto-compensating temperature control circuit comprising a temperature stable current source connected between a positive voltage rail and said output and having a temperature sensitive circuit connected between ground and said output, a leakage current of said temperature stable current source being essentially insensitive to temperature and a leakage current of said temperature sensitive circuit increasing with temperature; and

adjusting the flow of electro-rheological coolant fluid automatically based on the temperature of said auto-compensating temperature control circuit.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET, a gate and a source of said PFET connected to said positive voltage rail and a drain of said PFET connected to said output.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said temperature stable current source comprises a bandgap voltage source, an output of said bandgap voltage source connected to said output.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said temperature sensitive current source is an NFET biased below pinch-off, a drain of said NFET connected to said output, a gate and a source of said NFET connected to ground and a body of said NFET connected to a body bias voltage signal.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein said temperature sensitive current source comprises a set of n NFETs, each NFET of said set of NFETs biased below pinch off, drain of each NFET of said set of NFETs connected to said output, a source of each NFET of said set of NFETs connected to ground and a gate each NFET of said set of said NFETs connected to a select bias voltage signal.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET and one or more current mirror PFETS, sources of said PFET and said one more mirror PFETs connected to said positive voltage rail, gates of said PFET and said mirror PFETs and a drain of said PFET connected to ground through a temperature compensated current source, drains of said one or more mirror PFETs connected to a respective output of said auto-compensating temperature control circuit; and
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET, a gate of and as source of said PFET connected to said positive voltage rail and a drain of said PFET connected to said output.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
said temperature stable current source comprises a PFET and one or more current mirror PFETS, sources of said PFET and said one more mirror PFETs connected to said positive voltage rail, gates of said PFET and said mirror PFETs and a drain of said PFET connected to ground through a temperature compensated current source, drains of said one or more mirror PFETs connected to a respective output of said auto-compensating temperature control circuit; and
said temperature stable current source comprises a bandgap voltage source, an output of said bandgap voltage

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bernstein Kerry
• Goodnow Kenneth J
• Ogilvie Clarence R
• Sargis Jr John
• Ventrone Sebastian T
• Woodruff Charles S

Classifications

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W72/877

  Bump connectors and die-attach connectors · CPC title

• H10W70/656

  Fan-in layouts · CPC title

• H10W70/655

  Fan-out layouts · CPC title

• H10W40/47 Primary

  by flowing liquids, e.g. forced water cooling · CPC title