Abstract. Different methodologies to extract a dynamic compact thermal model of a microelectronic or MEMS device have been developed in recent years. They include strategies based on data fitting, a time-constant spectrum, modal analysis and finally formal model reduction. Researchers seek compact thermal multiport representation for system level simulation. However, thermal flux is not lumped by nature as electrical flow and, as a matter of fact, there appears to be very few works on how to couple dynamic compact thermal models with each other. In the present work, we take a finite element model of a MOS-transistor-based microhotplate array made in ANSYS as a case study. We consider two available techniques to make the model reduction. First, we employ the block Arnoldi algorithm that makes model reduction of the whole array at once. Second, we use the modified Guyan algorithm for a single hotplate and couple reduced models via substructuring. We compare both techniques with each other and discuss the possibility of combining the best parts of the two approaches.

Print publication: Issue 6 (June 2005)
Received 2 December 2004, in final form 22 February 2005
Published 29 April 2005