Circuit Design: Know It All

Chapter 43

Thermal Management

Tim Williams

It is in the nature of electronic components to dissipate power while they are operating. Any flow of current through a nonideal component will develop some power within that component, which in turn causes a rise in temperature. The rise may be no more than a small fraction of a degree Celsius when less than a milliwatt is dissipated, extending to several tens or even hundreds of degrees when the dissipation is measured in watts. Since excess temperature kills components, some way must be found to maintain the component operating temperature at a reasonable level. This is known as thermal management.

43.1 Using Thermal Resistance

Heat transfer through the thermal interface is accomplished by one or more ...