Electrothermal Co-Design Modeling and Analysis of an Ultra-Low On-Resistance Power Switch

A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) power switch is an electronic device that acts as a voltage-controlled current source. One critical aspect of the power switch's performance is its ability to dissipate heat into the environment efficiently. However, optimal dissipation is influenced by the combined effect of the device's electrical and thermal behavior. While standard methods such as increasing die and package sizes, using heat sinks, and employing top-side and immersion cooling techniques have improved heat dissipation, they mainly focus on the device's thermal behavior with little consideration for the electrical aspect. Additionally, these approaches come with added costs, making them less feasible for high-volume applications. This paper details a coupled electrothermal modeling, analysis, and silicon-package physical co-design optimization of an ultra-low on-resistance MOSFET power switch integrated circuit. Achieving optimal performance at the lowest cost is demonstrated successfully here by implementing the coupled modeling methodology early in the design phase of the power switch.