LTM4619
15
4619fc
For more information www.linear.com/LTM4619
applicaTions inForMaTion
1 θJA, the thermal resistance from junction to ambient, is
the natural convection junction-to-ambient air thermal
resistance measured in a one cubic foot sealed enclo-
sure. This environment is sometimes referred to as
“still air” although natural convection causes the air to
move. This value is determined with the part mounted
to a 95mm × 76mm PCB with four layers.
2 θJCbottom, the thermal resistance from junction to the
bottom of the product case, is determined with all of
the component power dissipation flowing through the
bottom of the package. In the typical µModule regulator,
the bulk of the heat flows out the bottom of the pack-
age, but there is always heat flow out into the ambient
environment. As a result, this thermal resistance value
may be useful for comparing packages but the test
conditions don’t generally match the user’s application.
3 θJCtop, the thermal resistance from junction to top of
the product case, is determined with nearly all of the
component power dissipation flowing through the top of
the package. As the electrical connections of the typical
µModule regulator are on the bottom of the package, it
is rare for an application to operate such that most of
the heat flows from the junction to the top of the part.
As in the case of θJCbottom, this value may be useful
for comparing packages but the test conditions don’t
generally match the user’s application.
4 θJB, the thermal resistance from junction to the printed
circuit board, is the junction-to-board thermal resistance
where almost all of the heat flows through the bottom
of the µModule package and into the board, and is really
the sum of the θJCbottom and the thermal resistance of
the bottom of the part through the solder joints and a
portion of the board. The board temperature is measured
a specified distance from the package.
A graphical representation of the aforementioned ther-
mal resistances is given in Figure 7; blue resistances are
contained within the µModule regulator, whereas green
resistances are external to the µModule package.
As a practical matter, it should be clear to the reader that
no individual or sub-group of the four thermal resistance
parameters defined by JESD51-12 or provided in the
Pin Configuration section replicates or conveys normal
operating conditions of a µModule regulator. For example,
in normal board-mounted applications, never does 100%
of the device’s total power loss (heat) thermally con-
duct exclusively through the top or exclusively through
bottom of the µModule package—as the standard defines
for θJCtop and θJCbottom, respectively. In practice, power
loss is thermally dissipated in both directions away from
the package—granted, in the absence of a heat sink and
airflow, a majority of the heat flow is into the board.
Within the LTM4619, be aware there are multiple power
devices and components dissipating power, with a con-
sequence that the thermal resistances relative to different
junctions of components or die are not exactly linear with
respect to total package power loss. To reconcile this
complication without sacrificing modeling simplicity—but
also not ignoring practical realities—an approach has been
taken using FEA software modeling along with laboratory
testing in a controlled-environment chamber to reason-
ably define and correlate the thermal resistance values
supplied in this data sheet: (1) Initially, FEA software is
used to accurately build the mechanical geometry of the
LTM4619 and the specified PCB with all of the correct
material coefficients along with accurate power loss source
definitions; (2) this model simulates a software-defined
JEDEC environment consistent with JESD51-12 to predict
power loss heat flow and temperature readings at different
interfaces that enable the calculation of the JEDEC-defined
thermal resistance values; (3) the model and FEA software
is used to evaluate the LTM4619 with heat sink and airflow;
(4) having solved for and analyzed these thermal resis-
tance values and simulated various operating conditions
in the software model, a thorough laboratory evaluation
replicates the simulated conditions with thermocouples
within a controlled-environment chamber while operat-
ing the device at the same power loss as that which was
simulated. The outcome of this process and due diligence
yields the set of derating curves shown in this data sheet.