A novel voltage output integrated circuit temperature sensor

Abstract

The novel integrated circuit (IC) temperature sensor presented in this paper works similarly as a two-terminal Zener, has breakdown voltage directly proportional to Kelvin temperature at 10 mV/°C, with typical error of less than±1.0°C over a temperature range from −50°C to +125°C. In addition to all the features that conventional IC temperature sensors have, the new device also has very low static power dissipation (0.5 mW), low output impedance (less than 1Ω), excellent stability, high reproducibility, and high precision. The sensor's circuit design and layout are discussed in detail. Applications of the sensor include almost any type of temperature sensing over the range of −50°C− +125°C. The low impedance and linear output of the device make interfacing the readout or control circuitry especially easy. Due to the excellent performance and low cost of this sensor, more applications of the sensor over wide temperature range are expected.