Thanks Bark,
Even without super material CDTP can be designed to surpass neutral DTP approach as long as you have the required surface area. The idea is to lower the heat potential difference (does anyone know shorter terms for this?) thus less thermal resistance. This is pretty much why Nichia still manufacture 2 pads design.
In theory two pads design can achieve lower Tj compared to three pads design (ignoring the surface area required) since copper used in cathode/anode has much better thermal conductance than the dielectric material commonly used in LED. Combined together with very high conductance and thin solder joint such as Indium solder, the result should be even better.
Upstream just at the heat source, heat flux intensity is higher that downstream where the surface area is cooler and larger.
For example: If a 119 has to pass 10 watt of power through two tiny solder pads. The heat intensity is roughly 10 watt/11,9 mm^2 (0,84 W/mm^2). After heat flux passing the solder pads, the intensity lowers down to 10 watt/201 mm^2 (0,05 W/mm^2) using a circular 16mm MCPCB.
My simple logics:
- Upstream:
common Sn60Pb40 thermal conductance ~50 W/M.K
heat intensity ~ 0,84 W/mm^2
- Downstream
Thermal pad material with X thermal conductance
heat intensity ~0,05 W/mm^2
To get the same state, thus X= ~2,9 W/M.K
I still don’t have any valid data to stand up for this one yet. I rather make some and then test it based on that logic. The universal VirEnce board test result was higher than expected. And I think (emphasizing the: I think), solder choice is one of the most important thing in CDTP design, it’s where the bottleneck occurs (not downstream at the MCPCB’s thermal pad). As long as we use MCPCB with surface area reasonably LARGER than the footprint of the LED’s solder pads.
I’m using Sn96,5Ag3Cu0,5 for most of my newer project now. It’s harder on the boards (218C liquidus) than 60/40 and requires extra effort to get a good reflowed boards. The thermal conductance is ~58-60 W/M.K.
I have a spool of SnxxAgxx (lost the label) solder wire rated at 70W/M.K but requires 240C to a flowable liquidus. Much harder and stronger joint very useful for aluminum soldering.
The larger the MCPCB surface/mating area to the heatsink, the less sophisticated the thermal pad required.
That’s the ideas behind my idea….