How to Select a Heat Sink

With the increase in heat dissipation from microelectronic devices and the reduction in overall form factors, thermal management bmomes a more and more important element of electronic product design. Both the performance reliability and life expectancy of electronic equipment are inversely related to the component temperature of the equipment. The relationship between the reliability y and the operating temperature of a typical silicon semiconductor device shows that a reduction in the temperature corresponds to an exponential increase in the reliability and life expectancy of the device. Therefore, long life and reliable performance of a component may be achieved by effectively controlling the device operating temperature within the limits set by the device design engineers.