Diode temperature sensor array for measuring micro-scale surface temperatures with high resolution

A diode temperature sensor array (DTSA) was developed for measuring the temperature distribution on a small surface with high resolution. The DTSA consisted of an array of 32 × 32 diodes (1024 diodes) for temperature detection in an 8 mm × 8 mm surface area and was fabricated using the very large scale integration (VLSI) technique. A flip chip packaging technique was used for electrical connections between the pads of the DTSA chip and the PCB (printed circuits board). Circuits for scanning temperatures at 1024 detection points were also developed. Each diode of the DTSA exhibited a strong linear relation between the forward voltage drop and the temperature. The DTSA may be applied to various micro-thermal systems that require highly integrated temperature sensors in a small area.