This paper describes a thermal-modeling approach that is easy to use and computationally efficient for modeling thermal effects and thermal-management techniques at the processor architecture level. Our approach is based on modeling thermal behavior of the microprocessor die and its package as a circuit of thermal resistances and capacitances that correspond to functional blocks at the architecture level. This yields a simple compact model, yet heat dissipation within all major functional blocks and the heat flow among blocks and through the package are accounted for. The model is parameterized, boundary- and initialconditions independent, and is derived by a structure assembly approach. The architecture community has demonstrated growing interest in thermal management, but currently lacks a way to model on-chip temperatures in a tractable way. Our model can be used for initial exploration of the design space at the architecture level. The model can easily be integrated into popular power/performance simulators, can be used to determine how thermal stress is correlated to the architecture, and how architecture-level design decisions influence thermal behavior and related effects.

Abstract- The paper presents a methodology for simulating the static and dynamic performance of integrated circuits in the presence of electro-thermal interactions on the integrated circuit die. The technique is based on the coupling of a finite element method (FEM) program with a circuit simulator. In difference to other known simulator couplings a time step algorithm is used. Its implementation into simulation tools is described. The thermal modeling of the die/package structure and the extended modeling of the electronic circuit is discussed. Simulation results which indicate the capabilities of the methodology for electrothermal simulation are compared to experimental results. Index Terms- Analog modeling with behavioral languages, circuit simulation, electro-thermal circuit simulation, finite element simulation, simulator coupling, thermal modeling. I.

The growing packing density and power consumption of VLSI circuits have made thermal effects one of the most important concerns of VLSI designers. The increasing variability of key process parameters in nanometer CMOS technologies has resulted in larger impact of the substrate and metal line temperatures on the reliability and performance of the devices and interconnections. Recent data shows that more than 50 % of all IC failures are related to thermal issues. This article presents a brief discussion of key sources of power dissipation and their temperature relation in CMOS VLSI circuits, and techniques for full-chip temperature calculation with especial attention to its implications on the design of highperformance, low power VLSI circuits. The article is concluded with an overview of techniques to improve the full-chip thermal integrity by means of off-chip vs. on-chip and static vs. adaptive methods.

in VLSI circuits

This dissertation presents a multi-faceted effort at developing standard System Design Language based tools that allow designers to the model power and thermal behavior of SoCs, including heterogeneous SoCs that include non-digital components. The research contributions made in this dissertation include: • SystemC-based power/performance co-simulation for the Intel XScale microprocessor. We performed detailed characterization of the power dissipation patterns of a variety of system components and used these results to build detailed power models, including a highly accurate, validated instruction-level power model of the XScale processor. We also proposed a scalable, efficient and validated methodology for incorporating fast, accurate power modeling capabilities into system description languages such as SystemC. This was validated against physical measurements of hardware power dissipation. • Modeling the behavior of non-digital SoC components within standard System Design Languages. We presented an approach for modeling the functionality, performance, power, and thermal behavior of a complex class of non-digitalcomponents — MEMS microhotplate-based gas sensors — within a SystemC