Description
What is a Heat Sink PCB? Ultimate Guide 2024
PCBs produce heat while they operate continuously, which can cause overheating and shorts that could harm the device. Air ventilation and heat dissipation are crucial.
One big aspect of PCB manufacture and assembly is thermal management. It is the technique of maintaining electrical systems and electronic components’ temperatures within the specified ranges.
The performance of the electronic devices will be maximized if designers are aware of good thermal management. Effective thermal management lowers the possibility of board failure and enhances the system’s overall performance.
Heat sink PCB can absorb and dissipate high surface temperatures. Resistors, diodes, and power semiconductors produce this temperature. Today, this kind of PCB is rising in popularity around the globe.
Heat sink PCB is best to use in electronic circuits that generate heat. This heat sink PCB dissipates or absorbs heat when the heat affects the circuit board.
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Why Heat Sink PCBs Are Better Than Regular PCBs?
A powerful heat dissipation system is a must to ensure the proper functioning and safety of your PCBs. Your PCB’s heat sink makes sure that the board’s temperature doesn’t rise above safe limits. Below are some of the major advantages of heat sink PCBs.
- Heat Sink PCBs are an excellent approach to boost your product’s performance and offer a cheap fix for thermal problems.
- Using heat sink PCBs will guarantee that your product works without fans or other cooling devices. The PCB’s thermal performance is achieved by transferring the heat produced by the components over time outside.
- Heat sinks can be used to cool down other PCB components, such as batteries and power regulators. A heat sink can extend the life of your PCB or gadget by up to 50%.
- Using fans may result in higher noise levels and energy usage. However, PCB heat sinks can successfully reduce this problem.
How Does a Heat Sink Work?
A heat sink removes or absorbs heat from a critical component. The majority of heat sinks complete this work in four simple steps:
Heat is produced by the source. Any system that generates heat and needs its removal to operate properly can serve as this source, including:
- Friction,
- mechanical,
- electrical,
- chemical,
- nuclear,
- solar
Heat dissipates from its source
This process can also be aided by heat pipes, but we’ll discuss those parts separately. Direct heat sink-contact applications use natural conduction to transfer heat from the source to the heat sink. The thermal conductivity of the heat sink material has an immediate effect on this procedure.
The most frequent materials used in the building of heat sinks are those with high thermal conductivity, including copper and aluminum.
Heat is distributed throughout the heat sink
Natural conduction will allow heat to move from a high-temperature environment to a low-temperature one through the heat sink as it traverses the thermal gradient. The thermal profile of the heat sink will consequently not be consistent as a result of this. As a result, heat sinks frequently get hotter closer to the source and cooler farther away.
The heat sink experiences heat loss
This procedure depends on the heat sink’s temperature gradient and working fluid, which is often air or a liquid that isn’t electrically conductive.
Thermal convection and thermal diffusion are used by the working fluid as it moves over the warm heat sink’s surface to transfer heat from the surface to the surrounding air. The removal of heat from the heat sink during this stage again depends on a temperature gradient.
Therefore, no convection and subsequent heat removal will take place if the ambient temperature is not lower than the heat sink. The entire heat sink surface area is likewise at its most useful during this stage. A big surface area increases the region where thermal convection and diffusion can take place.
What Are the Types of Heat Sinks?
There are several types of heat sinks. Each of these types has a certain purpose. However, these heat sinks have some characteristics in common. Most heat sinks are constructed of metal, typically copper or aluminum.
Passive heat sink
A passive heat sink doesn’t use any extra components to cool a component. It receives no help from additional processes. Heat sinks There are no mechanical parts in these heat sinks. Through the mechanism of convection, they release heat.
This heat sink produces trustworthy results when used on a PCB. Engineers are advised by experts to keep the air flowing through this heat sink’s fins.
Since they don’t use any additional cooling techniques, passive heat sinks work as a stand-alone solution. These heat sinks are larger than active heat sinks.
Active heat sink
This kind of heat sink makes use of extra materials to increase cooling efficiency. Active heat sinks employ powered operations like fans and water pumps. These procedures or products aid in accelerating the rate of heat transfer.
These coolers use the internal power supply in some electronic equipment. Long-term applications are not best suited for this kind of heat sink. Its moving parts are the reason for this.
Active heat sinks use one or more fans. These fans are either located above the fin stack or on its side. Some active heat sinks transfer heat from a source using water.
Hybrid Heat Sinks
These heat sinks include features of passive and active heat sinks. There are fewer of these configurations. To keep the electronic systems cool, hybrid heat sinks use control systems that are based on the required temperature.
What Are Heat Sink PCB Applications?
Heat sink PCBs have great usage in several applications today. High-performance applications benefit greatly from these circuit boards. They are also appropriate for use in machinery that generates a lot of heat.
LED
The majority of light-emitting diodes use heat sink PCBs (LED). These PCBs effectively cool LED PCBs. Heat sink circuit boards guard LEDs from being harmed by excessive heat. The majority of powerful LEDs have heat sink PCBs.
Computers
Heat sink PCBs are a typical part of computers. Computers require a heat sink for the CPU. The CPU generates a lot of heat as a result of electrical activity. The chipset might suffer harm as a result. A heat sink contributes to providing a clear path for heat to travel through. A heat sink comes with the CPU.
Industrial Facilities
Most industrial equipment produces heat when it is in use. A heat sink PCB is therefore perfect for usage in industrial machinery. A circuit board connects heat sinks because of their cooling capabilities. They reduce the amount of heat that is absorbed when a mechanical device is operating.
Soldering
Heat sinks help to safeguard electronic components during the soldering process. Some components require a heat sink to protect them while being soldered.
Consumer Goods
The majority of consumer products use heat sink PCBs. Heat sinks are included with some household electronics. This is due to the high heat output of certain of these devices’ components. As a result, heat sink PCBs help in the removal of heat from these devices.
Heat Sink PCB’s Limitations
Electronic equipment needs to be cooled in order to perform properly over time. Circuit board cooling has become more and more necessary. Heat Sink PCBs help in the cooling of electronic devices. It is impossible to over-emphasize the significance of using heat sinks in PCBs.
There are various heat sink PCB types with various levels of thermal resistance. These PCBs guarantee cooling. There are difficulties with heat sink PCBs. The circuit board’s connection to the heat sink is one of the main obstacles.
The use of thermal adhesive in the air without creating air pockets between the components presents another difficulty. The thermal adhesive’s characteristics are the cause of the problem. However, by utilizing pressure pins, thermal engineers were able to achieve good dispersion. The vacuum joining procedure provides a trustworthy outcome.
Developers have a serious problem with the dissipation of heat loss from processors. There are various ways to connect a heat sink to the heat source. A separate metal heat sink must be made to fabricate a heat sink PCB. Then, producers will affix this heat sink to a final board using liquid adhesive.
Method of Heat Sink Dissipation
The following methods are used by heatsink PCBs to dissipate heat:
- Heat transfer compounds
- Metal heat-conducting plate
- Higher copper thickness
- Metal core
Heat transfer compounds
The heat transfer compound is applied to the silkscreen by fabricators using a screen-printing technique for heat sink PCBs. The layer is between 100 and 150 m thick.
Metal core
Here, a copper or aluminum sheet is used rather than the typical base material. Copper foil is laminated onto a metal core using a prepreg.
Higher copper thicknesses
Thick copper boards allow for direct heat dissipation because the copper absorbs the heat. The copper is 400 m, 210 m, and 105 m thick. Since the conductor structure requires a lot of work, this technology has significant production costs.
Metal heat-conducting plate
A heat sink PCB goes through the regular production process using this method. Manufacturers press to mold the PCB to the metal heat-conducting plate using a prepreg.
What Are the Characteristics of a Good Heat Sink?
A good heat sink has certain characteristics that make it perfect for the majority of applications. These are the qualities of this heat sink:
- The temperature differential between the device and the surrounding air correlates with heat dissipation.
- The mounting technique is crucial. Instead of using glue, clips, or sticky tape, it employs screws.
- The surface area of the fins is correlated with heat dissipation. Consequently, it must have a sizable surface.
- The heat source must be in contact with a flat surface. This is crucial because a layer of the thermal compound can then be applied to reduce thermal resistance between the devices.
- The air must be able to freely flow through the fins of the heat sink.
Conclusion
There is a specific temperature range in which electronic components can operate. A breakdown can occur when the temperature around these components exceeds the upper limit. The component’s performance may suffer if it becomes overheated.
For instance, MCU consumes greater power in hot environments. A device that is subjected to excessive heat will have a shorter lifespan. Components may prematurely fail as a result of excessive heat. A heat sink PCB is hence the best option for the majority of devices.
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