Low-cost and versatile thermal test chip for power assemblies assessment and thermometric calibration purposes

Chips specifically designed for thermal tests such as the assessment of packages, are of main interest in Microelectronics. Nevertheless, these test dies are required in relatively low quantities and their price is a limiting factor. This work describes a low-cost thermal test chip, specifically developed for the needs of power electronics. It is based on a poly-silicon heating resistor and a decoupled Pt temperature sensing resistor on the top, allowing to dissipate more than 60 W (170 W/cm2) and reaching temperatures up to 200 °C. Its simple structure allows an easy simulation and modeling. These features have been taken in profit for packaging materials assessment, calibration of temperature measurement apparatus and methods, and validation of thermal models and simulations. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.