The dual thermal pads of the LM644A2-Q1 allow the
part to be cooled through the PCB and with a top side heatsink to extend the
temperature range of the device. However, as with any power conversion device, the
LM644A2-Q1 dissipates internal power while operating, so careful design of the
thermal environment is important. 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 LM644A2-Q1 must be limited to
150°C. This limit establishes a limit on the maximum device power dissipation and,
therefore, the load current. The following equation 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
note, 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.
Additionally, adding a heatsink to the top of the package will create a parallel
thermal path through R
θJC(top) and lower R
θJA accordingly. 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 calculated using the R
θJA of the EVM without
a heatsink and adding the calculated effect of a HSB43-454515P heatsink under either
natural convection or airflow conditions. Remember 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 8-4 Typical Output Current vs Ambient Temperature, VIN = 24V
FSW = 400kHz, Dual Output Figure 8-6 Typical Output Current vs Ambient Temperature, VIN = 24V
FSW = 1MHz, Dual Output Figure 8-8 Typical Output Current versus Ambient Temperature, FSW = 1MHz,
Single Output Use the following resources as a guide to
excellent thermal PCB design and estimating RθJA for a given application
environment: