Application Note
37 of 53
V 1.0
2019-04-01
IM393 Application note
IM393 IPM Technical Description
Thermal design
7
Thermal design
7.1
Introduction
Thermal design is a key issue for the IM393-XX that is to be built into in electronic systems such as drives. In
order to avoid overheating and/or to increase reliability, two design criteria are of importance:
•
Low power losses
•
Low thermal resistance from junction to ambient
The first criterion has already been fulfilled if users have chosen IM393-XX as an intelligent power module for
their application. To get the most out of the system, the selection of a proper heat sink is also necessary. A good
thermal design allows users to maximize the power or increase the reliability of the system by reducing the
maximum temperature. This application note gives a short introduction to power losses and heat sinks, helping
users to understand the mode of operation and to find the right heat sink for their specific application.
For the thermal design, the user requires the following data:
•
The maximum power losses P
sw,i
of each power switch
•
The maximum junction temperature T
J,max
of the power semiconductors
•
The junction-to-ambient thermal impedance Z
th,J-A
. For steady-state conditions, static thermal resistance R
th,J-
A
is sufficient. This thermal resistance comprises the junction-to-case thermal resistance R
th,J-C
as provided in
datasheets, the case-to-heat sink thermal resistance R
th,C-HS
accounting for the heat flow through the thermal
interface material between heat sink and the power module, and the heat sink-to-ambient thermal resistance
R
th,HS-A
. Each thermal resistance can be extended to its corresponding thermal impedance by adding the
thermal capacitances.
•
The maximum allowable ambient temperature T
A,max
•
Furthermore all heat flow paths need to be identified.
Figure 30
Simplified thermal equivalent circuit
This circuit is simplified, as it omits thermal capacitances and typically negligible heat paths such as the heat
transfer from the module surface directly to the ambient via convection and radiation.
T_Heatsink
Rth,C-HS
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip1
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip2
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip3
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip4
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip5
Rth,J-C
TJ,chip6
T_Case
Rth,HS-A
T_Ambient