Thermal analysis and junction temperature rise in multi-chip modules

Power dissipation and temperature rise is an important issue that needs to be considered when designing high reliability microelectronics. The heat created by power dissipation can cause specifications to drift out of tolerance and decrease the life of the part if not properly managed. The majority of the heat is typically removed through the base plate or the bottom of the device into a heat sink or PC board. Component junction temperatures are calculated as a temperature rise from the case temperature. Each component is analyzed to verify that it does not exceed the maximum junction temperature under the worst case operating conditions. The operating conditions of a specific application will affect the thermal characteristics of the part and will require thermal analysis. The operating conditions that will impact thermal design include but are not limited to; operating case temperature, input voltage range, output voltage, load current range, signal pin input voltage range, etc.

Source: MSK