Thermal design automation (TDA) for multiscale thermal management of electronics
Bing Cao
Abstract
Modern semiconductor devices face critical thermal management challenges as power densities increase and feature sizes approach deep nanoscale where classical Fourier’s heat conduction law breaks down. Traditional chip design approaches that rely primarily on only electrical designs and external cooling solutions are insufficient to address the complex, multiscale nature of thermal transport in advanced integrated circuits. This perspective presents a comprehensive Thermal Design Automation (TDA) framework, as a complementary extension to traditional Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, that systematically integrates thermal simulation and management methods across all length scales of semiconductor design. The TDA approach begins at the atomic scale, using first-principles calculations and lattice dynamics simulations to predict intrinsic electron and phonon transport properties. These fundamental properties parameterize phonon Monte Carlo simulations that solve the Boltzmann transport equation to capture non-Fourier heat spreading within transistors, while self-heating effects are simulated by solving fundamental semiconductor device equations. For larger scales, finite element methods and compact thermal models bridge the gap to circuit- and die-level thermal analysis and design, while advanced liquid cooling technologies address chip-level heat dissipation. Through multiscale thermal simulation and design optimization, the TDA framework enables systematic reduction of transistor heat generation, minimization of device and chip thermal resistance, and acceleration of chip design cycles, thereby enhancing overall performance and reliability. This integrated framework addresses the fundamental limitations of existing microscopic and macroscopic thermal simulation tools and establishes a new EDA+TDA paradigm for thermal-aware semiconductor design that can systematically tackle the multiscale thermal bottlenecks limiting further technological advancement in modern electronics.