The need for thermal management
It is tempting to embellish the title with words like “crucial” or “urgent” but, by the time you’ve been through the presentations in this section, you might wish to add such adjectives for yourself! We have three webcasts, starting with a review of the challenge by way of scoping the size of the problem. Then, lest anyone should be in any doubt that heat has effects on performance and reliability, we summarise some of the issues and the rationale for taking action, ending with a brief review about how thermal design is tackled. The main webcast is supplemented by a webcast from one of the industry’s gurus, and an interview with a thermal management practitioner.
Each of the concertina sections expands into a webcast, and the way in which these are presented allows you to see their structure, and move quickly to areas of particular interest. Or you can pause on any slide and look at it in detail, or read the transcript. [See this link for how to get the best from the Articulate Presenter format]
How big is the problem?
When the transistor was first developed, it was seen as a low voltage and low power replacement for earlier valve practice. Whilst in most applications the reduced voltage is still true, over the past 50 years integrated circuits have become significant generators of heat. So, how big is the problem? In this presentation we look at the trends in the technology, and at the applications that are driving the challenges of higher dissipation and higher thermal density, including a look at the complications produced by package developments.
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The effects of heat
This presentation considers the rationale for taking action, based on what heat does to the circuit. We don’t ignore the parametric changes that take place over temperature and with life, but our focus is on the reliability impacts of both high temperature and thermal cycling, and the significant contribution to unreliability that thermal problems can give if they are not dealt with early in the design.
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How thermal design is tackled
Having seen both the scale of the problem and the consequences for ignoring the need for thermal management, this short section is all about the ways in which thermal issues can be managed. We stress the need for a holistic view of the problem, supported by sequential focus on different aspects of the overall challenge. Section 3 has much more information about the methodology, but the introduction here points out the benefits of a structured approach, and of using simulation to make thermal problems more manageable and produce better products at affordable cost.
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Thermal management is not new, but has been given fresh focus by recent technology and application developments. In this webinar, Joe Fjelstad brings his considerable experience to bear on how we should deal with electronic assemblies that are much denser and much more energy-intense, promotes proactive thermal management, and suggests strategies for dealing with this “multi-dimensional and multi-factorial problem that crosses many different disciplines and technologies”.
The Thermal Management Challenge: an iconnect 007 webinar given by Joseph Fjelstad of Verdant Electronics »
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As an illustration of how thermal design is tackled within a company that has thermal challenges and takes them seriously, we interviewed an engineer who has long been active in thermal modelling and simulation. The interview discusses these challenges, and how simulation software is used within the company.
Interview with Chris Hill of NXP Semiconductors »
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