-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueLevel Up Your Design Skills
This month, our contributors discuss the PCB design classes available at IPC APEX EXPO 2024. As they explain, these courses cover everything from the basics of design through avoiding over-constraining high-speed boards, and so much more!
Opportunities and Challenges
In this issue, our expert contributors discuss the many opportunities and challenges in the PCB design community, and what can be done to grow the numbers of PCB designers—and design instructors.
Embedded Design Techniques
Our expert contributors provide the knowledge this month that designers need to be aware of to make intelligent, educated decisions about embedded design. Many design and manufacturing hurdles can trip up designers who are new to this technology.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Book Excerpt: Thermal Management With Insulated Metal Substrates, Part 4
December 10, 2020 | Didier Mauve and Ian Mayoh, VentecEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of "The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... Thermal Management With Insulated Metal Substrates," written by Ventec International Group’s Didier Mauve and Ian Mayoh. In this free eBook, the authors provide PCB designers with the essential information required to understand the thermal, electrical, and mechanical characteristics of insulated metal substrate laminates.
Chapter 4: Application Examples
Main Application Areas
Insulated metal substrates find many applications in automotive and industrial LED, power conversion, general lighting, street safety, backlight unit, and e-vehicle sectors (Figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1: Primary applications for IMS.
Headlamps
Compact LED lamp units give car stylists extra freedom. Bright lighting at near-daylight color temperatures gives drivers a clear view. However, as much as 80% of the electrical power supplied is dissipated as heat, which presents engineers with severe thermal management challenges.
Matrix headlamps feature multiple closely-spaced emitters on a single substrate. A substrate of high thermal conductivity, featuring either an aluminum or copper baseplate, and dielectric thickness of about 0.002” (0.05 mm) is a typical choice to ensure long-term reliability. A non-reinforced dielectric minimizes stressors due to CTE mismatch between the copper foil and aluminum baseplate. A copper baseplate may be used if the matrix density is extremely high and the power is very high to address potential CTE mismatches. Spotlights with multiple boards, each containing two or three emitters, concentrate the thermal challenge on smaller substrates featuring an aluminum baseplate and 2–3 W/mK overall thermal conductivity including the dielectric layer, which is typically about 0.003–0.004” (0.075–0.010 mm).
Automotive Turn Signals
LEDs for turn signals are typically in the 3W power range. A three-emitter unit dissipates about 7 watts of thermal energy that must be extracted from the component. IMS is often the most efficient and cost-effective thermal connection to the metallic chassis. Extreme size and shape constraints can direct designers toward a substrate with 3 W/ mK thermal conductivity and 0.002” or 0.003” (0.05–0.075 mm) dielectric.
High-Power Motor Drive for Electric Power Steering
Electric power steering (EPS) and other motor-driven mechanisms, including high-power electric-traction inverters in EVs, can present even tougher thermal management challenges. Targets for module size and reliability can be met cost-effectively using a high-performing IMS with thermal conductivity of 3–4.2 W/mK and 0.004”–0.006” (0.10–0.15 mm) dielectric. Direct bonded copper (DBC) is an alternative. In extremely high-power applications, such as inverters, power transistors may be soldered to the IMS/DBC circuit layer as bare die, and a liquid-cooled heat sink attached to the baseplate. In some modules, such as combined onboard charger (OBC) and DC/DC-converter units for EVs, the baseplate is integrated with a cast metal chassis, and the specification determined in consultation with the foundry.
To download this free eBook, published by I-Connect007, click here.
To view the entire I-Connect007 eBook library, click here.
Suggested Items
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
ENNOVI Introduces a New Flexible Circuit Production Process for Low Voltage Connectivity in EV Battery Cell Contacting Systems
04/03/2024 | PRNewswireENNOVI, a mobility electrification solutions partner, introduces a more advanced and sustainable way of producing flexible circuits for low voltage signals in electric vehicle (EV) battery cell contacting systems.
Heavy Copper PCBs: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Fabrication, Part 1
04/01/2024 | Yash Sutariya, Saturn Electronics ServicesThey call me Sparky. This is due to my talent for getting shocked by a variety of voltages and because I cannot seem to keep my hands out of power control cabinets. While I do not have the time to throw the knife switch to the off position, that doesn’t stop me from sticking screwdrivers into the fuse boxes. In all honesty, I’m lucky to be alive. Fortunately, I also have a talent for building high-voltage heavy copper circuit boards. Since this is where I spend most of my time, I can guide you through some potential design for manufacturability (DFM) hazards you may encounter with heavy copper design.
Trouble in Your Tank: Supporting IC Substrates and Advanced Packaging, Part 5
03/19/2024 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankDirect metallization systems based on conductive graphite or carbon dispersion are quickly gaining acceptance worldwide. Indeed, the environmental and productivity gains one can achieve with these processes are outstanding. In today’s highly competitive and litigious environment, direct metallization reduces costs associated with compliance, waste treatment, and legal issues related to chemical exposure. What makes these processes leaders in the direct metallization space?
AT&S Shines with Purest Copper on World Recycling Day
03/18/2024 | AT&SThe Styrian microelectronics specialist AT&S is taking World Recycling Day as an opportunity to review the progress that has been made in recent months at its sites around the world in terms of the efficient use of resources: