A: There are a lot of possible solution sets for management of heat, ranging from "active" heat sinks with coolant water or heat pipes to remove heat to PWB basics such as thermal vias and conventional heat sink technology. The most cost effective solution is to use the least exotic solution that will keep your expensive components from being fried when you power up and are operating at steady state. Arlon has two thermally conductive laminates that are specifically designed to help dissipate and remove the heat from a PWB. The first product, Arlon's 99ML, is a thermally conductive laminate and prepreg product with a 170oC Tg and a thermal conductivity of over 1.0 W/m-K (about 4 times that of standard FR-4). By building a PWB with a thermally conductive material you will have a greater transfer of heat away from any "hot spots" on the board. A 5oC or greater reduction in surface temperature may be achievable by using a thermally conductive laminate system. The second product Arlon offers is a heat sink material, designated 99N, and is based on the same core chemistry as the 99ML, but designed to be a "No-Flow" prepreg for bonding PWB's to heat sinks. With a thermal conductivity of 1.2 W/m-K 99N moves heat from the base of the board where it has been ducted by thermal vias and within-board conduction about 4x faster than conventional heat sink bonding prepregs such as Arlon's 47N or 49N. Removal of heat, resulting in lower surface temperatures, will continue to be a growing design consideration in the power industry as well as others. For additional information about Arlon solutions to your thermal problems, contact your Arlon sales or technical service representative or call Arlon directly at (909) 987-9533.
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