Thermal Management of RF and Digital Electronic Assemblies using Optimized Materials and PCB Designs

As far as the cooling of electronic devices is concerned, the first question one would ask is “Why are cooling and thermal management of these devices required, with so much hype associated with it?” The simple answer to it is that in any electronic device, its performance, reliability, efficiency and life expectancy are related inversely and exponentially to the magnitude of increased temperature above its optimum operating range. As the semiconductor transistor junction temperature rises, its life cuts down exponentially. For example, reducing the junction temperature by only 5°C above its optimum operating temperature range will result in approximately doubling the expected life of the component. Thus, considerable increase in performance, efficiency and life expectancy can be achieved by a relatively small reduction in operating temperature.