An On-Chip Temperature Sensor With a Self-Discharging Diode in 32-nm SOI CMOS

Abstract

We report a 39 μm × 27 μm on-chip temperature sensor which uses the temperature-dependent reverse-bias leakage current of a lateral silicon on insulator (SOI) CMOS p-n diode to monitor the thermal profile of a 32-nm microprocessor core. In this sensor, the diode junction capacitance is first charged to a fixed voltage. Subsequently, the diode capacitance is allowed to self-discharge through its temperature-dependent reverse-bias current. Next, by using a time-to-digital-converter circuit, the discharge voltage is converted to a temperature-dependent time pulse, and finally, its width is measured by using a digital counter. This compact temperature sensor demonstrates a 3σ measurement inaccuracy of ±1.95°C across the 5°C-100°C temperature range while consuming only 100 μW from a single 1.65-V supply.