As with any power conversion device, the LMQ644xx
dissipates internal power while operating. The effect of this power dissipation is
to raise the internal temperature of the converter above ambient temperature. The
internal die temperature (TJ) is a function of the following:
- Ambient temperature
- Power loss
- Effective thermal resistance,
RθJA of the device
- PCB layout
The maximum internal die temperature for the LMQ644xx must be limited to
150°C. This establishes a limit on the maximum device power dissipation and,
therefore, the load current.
Equation 9 shows the relationships between the important parameters. Larger
ambient temperatures (T
A) and larger values of R
θJA reduce the
maximum available output current. For low ambient temperature designs the converter
efficiency can be estimated by using the curves provided in the
Application Curves section. If the desired operating conditions
cannot be found in one of the curves, then the junction temperature can be roughly
estimated using the EVM thermal performance as a starting point. Alternatively, the
EVM can be adjusted to match the desired application requirements and the efficiency
can be measured directly. The correct value of R
θJA is more difficult to
estimate. As stated in the
Semiconductor and IC Package Thermal Metrics application
report, the JEDEC value of R
θJA given in the
electrical characteristics table is not always valid for design purposes and must
not be used to estimate the thermal performance of the device in a real application.
The values reported in the electrical characteristics table were measured under a
specific set of conditions that are rarely obtained in an actual application.
Equation 9.
where
- η = efficiency
- TA = ambient temperature
- TJ = junction temperature
- RθJA = the effective thermal resistance of the IC junction to the air, mainly through
the PCB
The effective RθJA is a critical
parameter and depends on many factors (just to mention a few of the most critical
parameters:
- Power dissipation
- Air temperature
- Airflow
- PCB area
- Copper heat-sink area
- Number of thermal vias under
or near the package
- Adjacent component
placement
A typical curve of maximum output current versus ambient temperature is shown
in
Figure 8-3 and
Figure 8-4 for a good
thermal layout. This data is for the LMQ644A2 evaluation board . It must be
remembered that the data given in these graphs are for illustration purposes only,
and the actual performance in any given application depends on all of the previously
mentioned factors.
Figure 8-3 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, VIN = 12 V
FSW = 400 kHz, Dual Output Figure 8-5 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, VIN = 12 V
FSW = 1 MHz, Dual Output Figure 8-7 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, FSW = 400
kHz, Single Output Figure 8-4 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, VIN = 24 V
FSW = 400 kHz, Dual Output Figure 8-6 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, VIN = 24 V
FSW = 1 MHz, Dual Output Figure 8-8 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, FSW = 1 MHz,
Single Output Use the following resources as a guide
to optimal thermal PCB design and estimating RθJA for a given application
environment: