Convection air cooling is still the most commonly used method of coolingmicroelectronics. In order to deliver air cooled computer equipment with higherreliability, we need to focus on the life expectancy of the air moving devices(AMDs). However, this is not a trivial exercise because there are so manyvariables and there is no industry standard for AMD life test procedures. … [Read more...]
Minimizing acoustical noise in electronic systems
Introduction Air-moving devices (AMDs), such as fans and blowers used for cooling inelectronic systems invariably generate acoustical noise which must be consideredif people are exposed to the emitted noise. In this article, we discussquantitative measures for the description of noise, design guidelines for theselection of low noise air movers, upper limits for the noise … [Read more...]
Thermoelectric thermal regulation systems
Thermoelectric temperature control systems are being used in an increasingnumber of applications. Typical applications of these systems are in thermalregulation of electronic enclosures, recirculating chillers for laser cooling,semiconductor process control and management of patient hypo- and hyperthermia. Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are essentially solid state devices that … [Read more...]
DELPHI – A status report on the European -union funded project for the creation and validation of thermal models on electronic parts
The accurate prediction of the operating temperatures of critical electronicparts at the component-, board- and system-level is seriously hampered by thelack of reliable, standardised input data. The DELPHI project is addressing thisproblem by the development and experimental validation of thermal models of avariety of `generic' electronic parts. DELPHI (which stands for … [Read more...]
Electronic package characterization per JEDEC standard
Introduction With the increase in power density resulting from advancements insemiconductor packaging technologies comes the issue of heat dissipation. Heatis generated as a result of electrical energy being converted to thermal energyduring circuit activities. The junction temperature of a chip directly affectsthe performance of the circuits and the reliability of … [Read more...]