![]() In contrast, FR4 relies on metal structures or active cooling to transport heat away from certain locations of the board or between layers, and hot spots are more likely to form on an FR4 PCB. The high thermal conductivity helps prevent the formation of hot spots on the surface and inner circuit layers as heat transport is more uniform throughout the board. You’ll need more than ice cubes to manage thermal demands in your PCBs Multilayer Ceramic BoardsĬeramic boards have other benefits that are particularly useful in multilayer boards. The electrical conductivity of ceramic boards can also be adjusted through doping this is the same process used to set the resistance of ceramic resistors. Ceramics buck this trend somewhat, meaning their electrical conductivity is still low enough that these boards can be used for PCB substrates. ![]() If you are familiar with chemistry and physics, you may know that thermally conductive materials tend to also be good electrical conductors. Ceramic boards do not require these elements except in extreme cases, and heat can be easily transported to a thermal landing, active cooling element, or device packaging. Thermal vias, metal planes on the inner layers, active cooling elements like fans, and thermal landings are all used to direct heat away from surface layers. Boron nitride has the highest thermal conductivity by far.įR4 PCBs that have high thermal demands often compensate for the low thermal conductivity using metal structures to transport heat. Aluminum nitride and silicon carbide are about 100 times as thermally conductive, and beryllium oxide has even higher thermal conductivity. Aluminum oxide is about 20 times as thermally conductive as FR4. FR4 has appallingly low thermal conductivity compared to the ceramic materials used for a circuit. One massive difference between FR4 and ceramic materials is their thermal conductivity. Substrate such as silicon carbide and boron nitride are two other ceramics with similar performance. The ceramic substrate used for circuit boards are aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and beryllium oxide. There is no single “ceramic” material this term refers to a class of materials with similar chemical structure and physical properties. FR4Ĭeramic boards offer some particular advantages over FR4 boards and these advantages can be exploited in certain applications. The primary drawback is cost, which can become significant in high volume manufacturing runs. Aerospace and heavy industrial equipment can see huge reliability benefits by switching to ceramic PCBs over FR4. Industries that require high speed/high frequency boards that can withstand harsh environments can benefit from ceramic PCBs. A ceramic material PCB design with capacitors can be a valuable circuit to know. Fast forward to your days as an engineer, and ceramics material play a critical role in electronic components. For most folks, hearing the word “ceramics” conjures images of a middle school or high school art class, where you proudly created a deformed coffee cup for your parents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |