Active thermal control for stacked IC devices

摘要

Thermal conductivity in a stacked IC device can be improved by constructing one or more active temperature control devices within the stacked IC device. In one embodiment, the control devices are thermal electric (TE) devices, such as Peltier devices. The TE devices can then be selectively controlled to remove or add heat, as necessary, to maintain the stacked IC device within a defined temperature range. The active temperature control elements can be P-N junctions created in the stacked IC device and can serve to move the heat laterally and/or vertically, as desired.

主权项

1. A method for controlling undesired temperature gradients in an integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:
allowing energy to flow between an area within a stacked integrated circuit (IC) and a thermal electric (TE) device, wherein the IC includes a tier having a substrate layer and an active layer in which active circuits are disposed, wherein the active layer is directly disposed on the substrate layer, and wherein the TE device is partially disposed within the substrate layer and partially disposed within the active layer; and enabling current to flow with respect to the TE device so as to selectively control the energy flow.