Realization of virtual 126-core system with thermal sensor-network using metallic thermal skeletons

Abstract

Different from traditional static thermal solutions (STS) or dynamic thermal management (DTM), we propose a design of metallic thermal skeletons in order to conduct the heat generated by the virtual core array in this paper. Not only the proposed design can lower the maximum temperature of the hotspot, but improve the thermal uniformity of the test chip. Furthermore, the presented metallic thermal skeletons are composed of the BEOL metallization for connection with the on-chip heat sink. Virtual cores with temperature sensors are also designed to construct a 126-core array and, as the role of the virtual many-core system. The thermal sensor network is based on a ring oscillator whose oscillation frequency is sensitive to temperature. Simulations and theoretical computations have been performed to see the effectiveness of the proposed metallic thermal skeletons. Finally, the infrared radiation thermal images are employed for monitoring the temperature of the virtual cores and that of the metallic thermal skeletons. The experimental results show that the proposed type γ design provides excellent capability for enhancement of thermal conduction and largely enhances the thermal uniformity of the test chip.