Integrated circuit with temperature-controlled component

• US 20060202304A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Inventors: Orr, Raymond K.
• Application Number:
  US11/076,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20060202304A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/536
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/08 Cooling, heating or ventilating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/006 Thin film resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/34 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/345 Arrangements for heating thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance

Abstract

An integrated circuit has a circuit component and a heating component thermally coupled together in a region thermally isolated from other parts of the integrated circuit. The thermal isolation can be provided by a bridge over a cavity in the substrate or caps over a thin substrate. A control circuit, which may be responsive to a sensing component thermally coupled to the heating component, controls the heating component to heat the circuit component to a temperature greater than that of the other parts of the integrated circuit, to control a temperature-dependent characteristic of the circuit component. The circuit component can for example be a resistor whose resistance is precisely determined and/or adjusted via the control circuit.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising a circuit component of the integrated circuit and a heating component thermally coupled together and relatively thermally isolated from other parts of the integrated circuit, and a control circuit for controlling the heating component for heating the circuit component to a temperature greater than a maximum operating temperature of said other parts of the integrated circuit.

2. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermally coupled components are provided on a bridge over a cavity in the integrated circuit to provide the relative thermal isolation of the thermally coupled components from said other parts of the integrated circuit.

3. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 2 wherein the control circuit is a part of the integrated circuit.

4. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermally coupled components are provided in a region of the integrated circuit having a relatively thin substrate and caps over said region to provide the relative thermal isolation of the thermally coupled components from said other parts of the integrated circuit.

5. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 4 wherein the control circuit is a part of the integrated circuit.

6. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 and including a sensing component thermally coupled to the heating component, wherein the control circuit is responsive to the sensing component for controlling the heating component.

7. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 6 wherein the thermally coupled components are provided on a bridge over a cavity in the integrated circuit to provide the relative thermal isolation of the thermally coupled components from said other parts of the integrated circuit.

8. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7 wherein the control circuit is a part of the integrated circuit.

9. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 6 wherein the thermally coupled components are provided in a region of the integrated circuit having a relatively thin substrate and caps over said region to provide the relative thermal isolation of the thermally coupled components from said other parts of the integrated circuit.

10. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the control circuit is a part of the integrated circuit.

11. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control circuit is responsive to a control voltage for controlling the heating component.

12. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the thermally coupled components comprises a resistor.

13. A method of controlling a temperature-dependent characteristic of a circuit component of an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:

thermally coupling the circuit component to a heating component and relatively thermally isolating the thermally coupled components from other parts of the integrated circuit; and

controlling the heating component to heat the thermally coupled components to a temperature greater than a maximum operating temperature of said other parts of the integrated circuit.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 and including the step of maintaining a substantially constant temperature of the thermally coupled components thereby to maintain said temperature-dependent characteristic of the circuit component substantially constant.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the circuit component comprises a resistor and the temperature-dependent characteristic comprises a resistance of the resistor.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13 and including the step of controlling temperature of the thermally coupled components thereby to adjust said temperature-dependent characteristic of the circuit component.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the circuit component comprises a resistor and the temperature-dependent characteristic comprises a resistance of the resistor.

18. An integrated circuit comprising:

a substrate including a cavity in the substrate and a bridge over the cavity;

a circuit component of the integrated circuit on the bridge whereby it is relatively thermally isolated from other parts of the integrated circuit not on the bridge; and

a heating component on the bridge, the heating component and the circuit component being relatively thermally coupled together, whereby the circuit component can be heated by the heating component to a temperature greater than a temperature of said other parts of the integrated circuit.

19. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 18 and including a sensing component on the bridge relatively thermally coupled to the heating component and the circuit component.

20. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 18 and including a control circuit for controlling the heating component thereby to control a temperature to which the circuit component is heated.

21. An integrated circuit comprising:

a substrate having a region having caps providing relative thermal isolation of said region from other parts of the substrate;

a circuit component of the integrated circuit in said region whereby it is relatively thermally isolated from other parts of the integrated circuit not in said region; and

a heating component in said region, the heating component and the circuit component being relatively thermally coupled together, whereby the circuit component can be heated by the heating component to a temperature greater than a temperature of said other parts of the integrated circuit.

22. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 21 and including a sensing component in said region relatively thermally coupled to the heating component and the circuit component.

23. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 21 and including a control circuit for controlling the heating component thereby to control a temperature to which the circuit component is heated.

24. A method of making an integrated circuit having a substrate with a region having caps providing relative thermal isolation of said region from other parts of the substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a heating component and a circuit component of the integrated circuit in said region of a first wafer;

etching an underside of a cap in a second wafer;

contacting the first and second wafers to provide the cap over said region;

backside grinding the first wafer to produce a relatively thin substrate in said region;

etching an underside of a second cap in a third wafer; and

contacting the first and third wafers to provide the second cap under said region.