AVX Corp. has released the new λ-Bridge (Lambda-Bridge) Series thermal conductors. Constructed with high-quality aluminum nitride (AlN) or beryllium oxide (BeO) materials, Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors provide efficient, cost-effective thermal management solutions with reliable, repeatable performance in four small EIA form factors: 0302, 0402, 0603 and 0805. Designed to direct heat to thermal ground planes, heat sinks or other points of thermal interest, help protect adjacent components from hot-spot thermal loads and improve overall circuit reliability, the series exhibits high thermal conductivity, low thermal resistance and capacitance so low that the devices are virtually transparent at RF/microwave frequencies.
The new Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors also feature RoHS-compliant SMT packages that are fully compatible with automated pick-and-place processing, and are ideal for use between active-device and adjacent ground planes, between a specific contact pad and case or between contact pads, and as direct component contacts in GaN power amplifiers, high-power RF amplifiers, filters, synthesizers, industrial computers, switch-mode power supplies and pin and laser diodes.
“Our new Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors provide efficient, compact and cost-effective thermal management solutions, improve overall circuit reliability and offer an additional layer of protection for adjacent components in a wide range of RF, microwave and power applications,” said Larry Eisenberger, principal technical marketing engineer at AVX.
Standard configurations for the new Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors currently include 0302, 0402, 0603 and 0805 EIA packages with two standard thicknesses ranging from 20 to 40 mils (T1) and 15 to 25 mils (T2), in edge-wrap (fully-metalized edge) and no-wrap styles, and with either gold-over non-magnetic barrier terminations or gold-over-magnetic terminations. Custom configurations are also available.
AlN Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors exhibit thermal resistance values spanning 10°C/W to 25°C/W (T1) and 16°C/W to 32°C/W (T2); thermal conductivity values spanning 40 to 100 mW/°C (T1) and 30 to 60 mW/°C (T2); and capacitance values spanning 0.06 to 0.13 pF (T1) and 0.05 to 0.08 pF for edge-wrap versions. Non-wrapped versions have even lower capacitance values.
BeO Lambda-Bridge thermal conductors exhibit thermal resistance values spanning 7°C/W to 16°C/W (T1) and 11°C/W to 21°C/W (T2); thermal conductivity values spanning 61 to 153 mW/°C (T1) and 46 to 92 mW/°C (T2); and capacitance values spanning 0.05 to 0.10 pF (T1) and 0.04 to 0.07 pF for edge-wrap versions.
Packing options include: 1,000 pieces on a 7 in. reel, 500 pieces on a 7 in. reel and matrix tray, and lead-time for the series is currently 12 weeks.