Simulation and validation of thermal stability for complex system design high power dissipation

Abstract

Nowadays, heat is an inevitable issue affecting the performance of electronic devices, used in several power applications. In order to improve the lifetime as well as the productivity of these devices, heat should be reduced or kept at a stable level. The objective of this work is to make a thermal study of the ASIC (4.68 mm × 5.97 mm) under natural and forced air convections. The simulation results carried out with the Finite Element Method (FEM)-based software i.e., COMSOL and NISA tools. The DBC (Dirichlet Boundary conditions) method is applied around the ASIC at 25°C. Through these simulations the relationship between the powers dissipated by ASIC and the difference of temperature in both forced and natural convection is validated. Simulation results show a decrease in temperature of 22°C under forced air convection. This work offers an appropriate tool to model a variety of physical phenomena characterizing a real problem as the heat exchange by convection. The temperature profile obtained from the FEM model can ensure a uniform temperature distribution in both natural and forced convection. This work could be regarded as an important basis for the improvement of the reliability of new microelectronic devices, commonly used in power networks.