How to Improve Heat Dissipation With PCB Designs

If you want your PCB to work effectively and efficiently, then you should consider some design changes. To improve heat dissipation, you need to optimize your component layout. This will help your PCB to fully utilize copper planes, thermal dissipation holes, and solder mask openings. In addition, you should ensure that the thermal resistance channel you use is reasonable, allowing smooth heat export from the PCB.

Thermal vias

One of the ways to improve heat dissipation with PCB designs is to include thermal vias. Thermal vias have the advantage of allowing the transfer of heat between two different layers. A larger thermal via will provide more space for heat to move. In the past, vias filled with conductive epoxy were popular. But these vias are not only uneconomical, but they can also be expensive. Instead, consider using regular thermal vias, which are free, and almost as effective.

Thermal vias are not only beneficial to the device, but they also help to lower the junction temperature. They also allow for other methods of heat dissipation on the backside of the PCB.

Copper weight

Copper weight is an important consideration when planning a PCB design. It increases the overall thickness of the circuit board and is usually measured in ounces per square foot. PCBs that use heavy copper can have weights as high as 20 oz per square foot. In addition to thickness, copper weight is also a major factor in the current carrying capacity of a PCB.

Heavy-copper PCBs are often used in power electronics gadgets and other devices that must withstand severe environments. These designs feature thicker traces that can carry higher currents. They also eliminate the need for odd-length traces. In addition, low-copper PCBs will allow a low trace impedance, but are unlikely to feature extremely small trace widths.

Exposed pads

The presence of a thermal via will reduce the difference between the temperature of the pad and the surrounding plane. The thermal conductivity of a thermal via is also reduced if the surface has an underlying plane. A thermal via placed between two pads will be a small percentage of the surface area.

It’s crucial to minimize the amount of heat generated by power components on PCBs. For this reason, designers should keep them away from corners and adjacent traces. They should also optimize the area around these power components, which is often done by exposing power pads. These types of pads conduct 80% of the heat generated by an IC package through the bottom of the package and the remainder dissipates through the sides.

To help reduce heat on PCBs, designers can use improved heat-management products. These products include heat pipes, heatsinks, fans, and more. These products can help reduce the PCB’s temperature through conduction, passive convection, and radiation. In addition, designers can choose a method of interconnection that will reduce the heat generated on the board. The common exposed-pad approach will lead to more heat problems than it solves.

Cooling fans

PCBs can benefit from the addition of cooling fans to remove heat from the board. In general, PCBs made with copper or polyimide base materials dissipate heat more quickly than those made with a non-conducting base material. These PCBs are also more flexible and often feature larger surface areas for heat conduction. Additionally, they allow more space between high-power components.

The proper placement of cooling fans helps improve heat dissipation. A good PCB layout places the highest power-generating components downstream from cooling fans. Using an IPC-2221 PCB design guide, a designer can find out the recommended distances between each component.

Thermally conductive substrates

Choosing a thermally conductive substrate for your PCB design is an important consideration in your design. It can help improve heat dissipation by reducing the thermal stress on the active components. High thermal conductivity can also eliminate the need for bulky heat sinks or fans.

Thermally conductive substrates are essential components for PCBs, so it’s vital to choose the right ones. In addition to using thermally conductive substrates, the right geometrical arrangement of components can also reduce thermal transfer. For example, the spacing between traces is critical. If the traces are too short, they can cause hot spots or degrade the performance of sensitive components. Another important consideration is the copper trace thickness. You should choose copper traces with low impedance, which will reduce the amount of power loss and heat generation.

Using thermally conductive substrates in PCB designs can improve heat dissipation and reduce the thermal resistance between devices. Using thermally conductive materials on the bottom of chip leads can also increase the contact area between them, helping the devices dissipate heat. In addition, thermally conductive materials can be used for filling to help reduce the thermal resistance.