Phase Change Materials for Thermal Peak Management Applications with Specific Temperature Ranges

The miniaturization in current power electronics results in an increased heat flux density. Despite the higher power demand, the thermal loss is getting a problem. The energy in form of heat must be dissipated to the environment by convection or thermal radiation. Both effects depend on the interface area. Currently these devices are coupled with large heat sinks and fans. These increase the size and weight of the PCB and complete assembly. Our idea is a selective coating that is directly applied on hot devices or parts, mounted directly on the PCB to avoid large heat sinks or reduce their space demand. Depending on the used semiconductor technology, we identified three different temperature ranges where the operating temperature of the devices should be limited to avoid de-rating and destruction. The intention behind this coating is to limit the peak temperatures of electronic devices during its normal operation for a certain time.