Ceramic Thermal Substrates & Metal Core PCB

Ceramic thermal substrates claim a higher thermal conductivity than other components in metal core circuits.

Many mainstream applications have begun to use ceramics including solar equipment, LED televisions, smart mobile phones and automotive components.

These ceramic substrates are one of either thick or thin film. Thick is mostly used in the automotive and military fields for high heat generating equipment, while the latter is used mostly for powerful LEDs.

The main materials of these 2 kinds of ceramic thermal substrates are AlN, Alumina and Al₂O₃.

Low CTE Boards

CTE is the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.

Understanding CTE in metal core PCB fabrication is critical. Every material expands or contracts when its temperature changes.

CTE is very important in board design since multiple materials are often used in the final assembly, causing situations of different levels expansion/contraction. This, in turn, can cause stress on the overall board or the solder joints.

LED Prices & Effect on Metal Core PCB Fabrication

Many sources are discussing LED pricing in the next 5-15 years, with all sources pointing to a huge decrease in pricing for a number of reasons.

The most particular and promising other than the natural lowering of pricing from increased competition comes from the components and materials used.

The newer use of larger silicon carbide wafers will bring prices down eventually as well as the promising technology of GaN-on-Silicon wafers.

Pricing for assembled LED applications are predicted to drop by up to 100% from industry sources.

LEDs are up to 40 times more efficient and longer lasting than regular incandescent light bulbs. With the more affordable pricing, they will surely take over more of the new and replace old lighting applications.

This will also increase the effect of demand for metal core pcb designers, fabricators and assembly firms.

Metal Core PCB Demand on the Rise

The demand for LED products and LED applications has been steadily on the rise, in reports from Taiwan.

Taiwan manufacturers have reported that LED applications, primarily LED panels, are in greater demand and steadily increasing.

This will surely increase the demands and technology for metal core printed circuit boards and interconnects for the boards.

Metal Core Boards - Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity is the ability materials or a material that reports its ability to conduct heat. In terms of MCPCB, heat conductivity refers to how the metal core reacts to heat and which levels of heat.

Thermal conductivity is calculated by the amount of heat transmitted over a certain period of time through thickness in a direction along the surface of an area as a result of temperature differences. Controlled conditions are maintained for the calculation and the heat transfer depends only on the temperature gradient/change.

The thermal conductivity of the metal core has been represented as the symbol K. A more common and modern symbol for it is the Greek lambda, used extensively in Fourier's Law.