Heat-sink features both surface mount & leaded components
The UK Intellectual Property Office has approved TDK-Lambda UK’s power supply heatsink arrangement patent application. To dissipate heat, power supply designers utilise a variety of components, including surface mount and leaded parts. These components, however, require different cooling arrangements.
Surface mount power components can be mounted on an insulated metal substrate consisting of layers of copper traces and thermally conductive insulation bonded to a metal baseplate. This substrate is usually vertically mounted and electrically connected to the main circuit board with a lead-frame.
Transferring high currents to the main board with a leaded part removes the need for multiple low current pins on the lead-frame. However, leaded parts require fasteners and insulation to mount them to a heatsink. Although surface mount packages with leaded parts are available, they are expensive. Therefore, a combination of both surface mount and leaded components is required.
The company’s heat-sink arrangement, which utilises a traditional IMS board, features surface mounted power components on one side and leaded power semiconductors on the other. These leaded components are attached using a double-sided adhesive tape, which features both insulating and thermally conductive properties. As well as saving space, the assembly does not use any mechanical fasteners and can be easily soldered to the main circuit board.
“Available space and electrical clearance was an issue. We needed a cost-effective hybrid solution” commented Martin Coates, Senior Electrical Design Engineer, TDK-Lambda.
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