LED Technology
Three thermal challenges facing the LED industry in 2020
accomodate these shrinking device sizes, those working with LEDs have adopted a number of new design techniques. As one example, many engineers are now specifying LEDs as chip-scale packages (CSP). CSP implies an architecture in which there is virtually no package beyond the electrical p and n contacts that are metallized in the back-end manufacturing process. The result is a far smaller surface area with significantly less real estate around the chip. This means that CSPs can be placed really close together, creating extremely power-dense modules within the ever smaller overall designs.
Tom Gregory, product manager at 6SigmaET I
n October, leading thermal simulation software provider 6SigmaET ran the latest event in its Thermal Focus series. This series brings together industry-specific professionals to discuss their own unique thermal challenges and to compare notes with other likeminded professionals across their niche sector.
The event consisted of a
digital roundtable, bringing together three thermal experts from leading LED and lighting firms. The experts shared their views on the future of LEDs, the key trends that they are seeing in the lighting market, and the evolving thermal challenges that they increasingly face within this new landscape. Here are three of the top
trends – and the resulting thermal challenges – that today’s LED engineers will face in 2020.
1. LEDs are operating in ever smaller spaces If you work in the electronics design space, you’ve almost certain come face-to-face with the issue of shrinking device sizes. For both consumer and industrial electronics, the
expectation is that every device must be smaller and more powerful than ever before. In an attempt to
32 December/January 2020 Components in Electronics
Of course, the downside of this move is that such close groupings of high-powered LEDs will inevitably generate significant heat. In some cases, LED size can be as little as 1mm2, despite generating over a watt of power. In ever smaller devices, with no packaging around the LED, excess heat inevitably builds up leading to thermal complications. This can put devices at risk of overheating and can limit the reliability of the design. To overcome this, design engineers working with LEDs are turning to increasingly advanced and more precise methods of thermal simulation. Working with such small components, today’s thermal simulation platforms must offer a
far higher degree of accuracy, exploiting even the smallest opportunities to safely transfer heat away.
2. Time to market is shrinking dramatically Another key trend identified by the panel was the dramatically shrinking time to market, across the electronics industry. Both LED manufacturers and device designers are now being expected to deliver to ever shorter timescales. In the case of one LED professional in the panel, turnaround time for an entire LED design project could be as little as two weeks. With growing pressure to go to market quickly, there is a tendency for designers to assume that the latest innovations will automatically be the ‘best’ for their designs. This however, is rarely the case. To guarantee reliability, components must be carefully chosen to ensure that they do not use excess power or generate unnecessary heat. Once again, thermal simulation
tools present a key element in this decision. By digitally creating a design through simulation before producing a physical prototype, designers can trial different component types until they find those that are best suited to their unique thermal and power requirements. Unfortunately, time to market pressures are also limiting the effective use of thermal simulation, with research from 6SigmaET showing that over a third of design engineers don’t spend enough time simulating their designs before they go to market.
3. The internet of things creates harsher use cases
One of the biggest benefits of LEDs is their flexibility. Where once, LEDs would have been used within basic applications such as sensors and PSU status indicators, they can now be found in everything from rechargeable wireless consumer products and intelligent home lighting to car headlamps. While this widespread adoption of LEDs is great news for engineers looking for controllability and energy efficiency within their designs, it does have its downsides. As discussed by 6SigmaET’s panel, the
problem with such varying use cases is that few LED producers have visibility of how their designs will ultimately be used. A newly produced LED design could be used anywhere – in any number of different climates and rugged environments. As such, attempting to predict the thermal forces that could occur in any environment is seemingly impossible.
This problem is exacerbated to a considerable extent by the fact that, while more traditional lighting solutions have a maximum “junction” temperature of around 2,000°C, that of an LED needs to be closer to 100°C if it is to achieve its desired lifetime. This problem is only set to get worse.
With the rise of the internet of things, devices housing LEDs will now be used in a whole new array of environments. Many of these environments could involve high altitudes, extreme hot or cold temperatures, or even temporary or permanent water submersion. As such, attempting to predict performance and reliability considering air flow and heat dissipation has never been harder.
Despite this, 6SigmaET’s panel remained optimistic about their ability to adequately manage thermal complications. While not yet universal, some of the latest thermal simulation software can account for changes in altitude as well as submerged electronics. Such features will be vital in the age of the internet of things.
6sigmaet.info/blog/ led-thermal-management
www.cieonline.co.uk
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