THERMOS 3 , A TOOL FOR 3D ELECTROTHERMAL SIMULATION OF SMART POWER MOSFETS

In this work we present a novel 3D simulation tool capable of taking into account also particular driving strategies of the electron device as it may be the case of Smart Power MOSFETs where a control logic interacts with the power section and controls its dissipated power and temperature. As an example a thermal shutdown circuit, capable of reading the temperature on chip and switching the device off if the latter reaches dangerous values is usually embedded within Smart Power devices used in automotive applications to drive direction light or small motors/actuators.