How should the 0.010 and 0.014 vias on the ADPA9002 and HMC8410 evaluation module PCBs be treated to ensure proper thermal management, and what materials are recommended for affixing the PCB to a heatsink in a custom design?

Question

Accepted Answer

For the ADPA9002 and HMC8410 evaluation module PCBs, all 0.010 and 0.014 vias should be filled with non-conductive epoxy and overplated with copper on both sides. This is specified in the Gerber files. While copper has better thermal properties, the non-conductive epoxy and copper overplating should be adequate. Remember that the vias themselves are made from copper. You can fill the vias with copper. One potential downside of that is that there now is a larger thermal mass that has to be heated up during the soldering process. This is not necessarily a problem but something to be aware of. In terms of what materials to use to attach a heatsink to the underside of the board, it comes down to the thermal resistance of the material being used. The thermal resistance needs to be low enough so that this interface does not become a bottleneck. For more detailed information on thermal calculations AN-1604 (Rev. 0) available at https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/application-notes/AN-1604.pdf

Popular Forums

Product Forums

Application Forums

Design Center Forums

Highlighted Webinar

Places

Libraries

Upcoming Learning & Events

Challenge Yourself!

What's Brewing

Places

Resources

Visit ContentZone

The Latest Read

New Release

Recent Technical Insights

Products Mentioned

ADPA9002: FAQ