Differential Temperature Sensors: Review of Applications in the Test and Characterization of Circuits, Usage and Design Methodology

Differential temperature sensors can be placed in integrated circuits to extract a signature of the power dissipated by the adjacent circuit blocks built in the same silicon die. This review paper first discusses the singularity that differential temperature sensors provide with respect to other sensor topologies, with circuit monitoring being their main application. The paper focuses on the monitoring of radio-frequency analog circuits. The strategies to extract the power signature of the monitored circuit are reviewed, and a list of application examples in the domain of test and characterization is provided. As a practical example, we elaborate the design methodology to conceive, step by step, a differential temperature sensor to monitor the aging degradation in a class-A linear power amplifier working in the 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific Medical—ISM—band. It is discussed how, for this particular application, a sensor with a temperature resolution of 0.02 K and a high dynamic range is required. A circuit solution for this objective is proposed, as well as recommendations for the dimensions and location of the devices that form the temperature sensor. The paper concludes with a description of a simple procedure to monitor time variability.