Comparison of low cost, insulated aluminium substrates used as integrated heat sinks with conventional technology

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe two new thick film paste systems (one glass‐based and the other polymer‐based) for insulating aluminium substrates and allowing components like high‐intensity light‐emitting diodes to be attached to a conductor deposited on the dielectric.Design/methodology/approachComparative measurements of the thermal resistance of different substrates mounted with metal‐oxide semiconductor field‐effect transistors were made.FindingsThe thermal advantages of these two technologies have been proved.Originality/valueThis paper presents useful comparative data from a replicated application using different combinations of substrates. The paper shows how the superior properties of the two new systems have been proven by thermal resistance measurements. From a thermal point of view, it is only the expensive 4 W m−1 K−1 insulated metal substrate that competes with the “low cost” systems.