Integrated circuit
View Patent ↗An integrated circuit is provided with a substrate, an electrode, two diffusion areas, and a resistance heater. The substrate includes a first surface and second surface that are substantially parallel to each other. The electrode is laminated onto the first surface. The two diffusion areas are disposed within the substrate in the vicinity of the electrode to form one transistor with the electrode. The resistance heater is located on an area of the second surface across the substrate from the electrode. The resistance heater produces heat by allowing electric current to flow.
1. An integrated circuit comprising:
a substrate including a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other;
a plurality of transistors, each of the plurality of transistors including
an electrode laminated onto the first surface, and
two diffusion areas disposed within the substrate in the vicinity of the electrode;
a plurality of resistance heaters laminated at least one onto a different area of the second surface alone, the different area of the second surface being located across the substrate from the electrode included in a different one of the plurality of transistors, each of the plurality of resistance heaters being configured to produce heat by allowing electric current to flow; and
a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches (i) connecting a different one of the plurality of resistance heaters with a current source and (ii) being configured to allow or prevent flow of electric current between the different one of the plurality of the resistance heaters and the current source, thereby allowing the plurality of resistance heaters to selectively heat the plurality of transistors to raise a temperature of a selected one of the plurality of transistors to a first temperature higher than a second temperature of others of the plurality of transistors.
2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , further comprising
a thermal insulator located within the substrate and surrounding the two diffusion areas to prevent external leakage of heat from the two diffusion areas.
3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of transistors including one transistor belonging to a critical path of the integrated circuit, and
the plurality of resistance heaters raise a temperature of the one transistor to the first temperature higher than the second temperature of the others of the plurality of transistors.
4. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein
operating speeds of the plurality of transistors rise due to the plurality of resistance heaters heating the plurality of transistors.
5. The integrated circuit of claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of transistors are MOS transistors.
6. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , further comprising
a heater control circuit located on the substrate and including the current source configured to supply electric current to the plurality of resistance heaters, the heater control circuit configured to selectively adjust amounts of electric current flowing between the current source and the plurality of resistance heaters.
7. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , wherein
the heater control circuit selectively controls the plurality of switches to adjust the amounts of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters.
8. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , wherein
the heater control circuit allows electric current to flow to a specific one of the plurality of resistance heaters only during operation of a corresponding one of the plurality of transistors,
the specific one of the resistance heaters is laminated onto an area of the second surface located across the substrate from the electrode included in the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors, and
the specific one of the plurality of resistance heaters heats the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors to raise a temperature of the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors to the first temperature higher than the second temperature of the others of the plurality of transistors.
9. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , wherein
the heater control circuit alters the amount of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters in accordance with a use case of the integrated circuit.
10. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts the amount of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters according to bandwidth of an external memory connected to the integrated circuit.
11. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , further comprising
a temperature detection circuit configured to detect a temperature of an area surrounding the plurality of transistors, wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts a length of a period of time during which electric current is allowed to flow continuously to the plurality of resistance heaters according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection circuit.
12. The integrated circuit of claim 6 , further comprising
a temperature detection circuit configured to detect a temperature of an area surrounding the plurality of transistors, wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts the amounts of electric current allowed to flow to the plurality of resistance heaters according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection circuit.
13. An integrated circuit comprising:
a first substrate including a first surface and second surface that are substantially parallel to each other;
a plurality of transistors, each of the plurality of transistors including
an electrode laminated onto the first surface, and
two diffusion areas disposed within the first substrate in the vicinity of the electrode;
a second substrate bonded to the second surface;
a plurality of resistance heaters laminated at least one onto a different area of the second substrate opposite to a different area of the second surface alone, the second substrate being bonded to the second surface, the different area of the second surface being located across the first substrate from the electrode included in a different one of the plurality of transistors, each of the plurality of resistance heaters being configured to produce heat by allowing electric current to flow; and
a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches (i) connecting a different one of the plurality of resistance heaters with a current source and (ii) being configured to allow or prevent flow of electric current between the different one of the plurality of the resistance heaters and the current source, thereby allowing the plurality of resistance heaters to selectively heat the plurality of transistors to raise a temperature of a selected one of the plurality of transistors to a first temperature higher than a second temperature of others of the plurality of transistors.
14. The integrated circuit of claim 13 , further comprising
a thermal insulator surrounding the two diffusion areas within the first substrate to prevent external leakage of heat from the two diffusion areas.
15. The integrated circuit of claim 13 , wherein
the plurality of transistors include one transistor belonging to a critical path of the integrated circuit, and
the plurality of resistance heaters raise a temperature of the one transistor to the first temperature higher than the second temperature of the others of the plurality of transistors.
16. The integrated circuit of claim 13 , wherein
operating speeds of the plurality of transistors rise due to the plurality of resistance heaters heating the plurality of transistors.
17. The integrated circuit of claim 16 , wherein
the plurality of transistors are MOS transistors.
18. The integrated circuit of claim 13 , further comprising
a heater control circuit located on one of the first substrate and the second substrate and including the current source configured to supply electric current to the plurality of resistance heaters, the heater control circuit configured to selectively adjust amounts of electric current flowing between the current source and the plurality of resistance heaters.
19. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , wherein
the heater control circuit selectively controls the plurality of switches to adjust the amounts of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters.
20. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , wherein
the heater control circuit allows electric current to flow to a specific one of the plurality of resistance heaters only during operation of a corresponding one of the plurality of transistors,
the specific one of the plurality of resistance heaters is laminated onto an area of the second substrate opposite to an area of the second surface located across the first substrate from the electrode included in the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors, and
the specific one of the plurality of resistance heaters heats the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors to raise a temperature of the corresponding one of the plurality of transistors to the first temperature higher than the second temperature of the others of the plurality of transistors.
21. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , wherein
the heater control circuit alters the amounts of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters in accordance with a use case of the integrated circuit.
22. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts the amounts of electric current supplied to the plurality of resistance heaters according to bandwidth of an external memory connected to the integrated circuit.
23. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , further comprising
a temperature detection circuit configured to detect the temperature of an area surrounding the plurality of transistors, wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts a length of the period of time during which electric current is allowed to flow continuously to the plurality of resistance heaters according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection circuit.
24. The integrated circuit of claim 18 , further comprising
a temperature detection circuit configured to detect a temperature of an area surrounding the plurality of transistors, wherein
the heater control circuit adjusts the amounts of electric current allowed to flow continuously to the plurality of resistance heaters according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection circuit.