â–¼

Improve Durability and Performance Reduce Board Size and Replace Hardware

Thermal Clad improves durability because designs can be keptsimple while components are kept cool. The low thermal impedance of the Thermal Clad dielectric out-performs other insulators for power components allowing cooler operation.Thermal Clad keeps assemblies cool by eliminating thermalinterfacesand using thermally efficient solder joints. Voltagebreakdownand thermal performance improve in potted assembliesusing SMDs and bare die on Thermal Clad.Thermal Clad can also reduce production costs by enablingautomated pick-and-place equipment for SMDs. Thermal Clad greatly reduces board space while replacing othercomponents including heat sinks. It offers the opportunity to eliminate mica and grease or rubber insulators under power devices by using direct solder mount to Thermal Clad. In eliminating this hardware, heat transfer improves.Interconnects can be eliminated by using etched traces on theThermal Clad board. In fact, whole sections of PWB’s are often eliminated. It permits using surface mount power and passive devicesto reduce real estate. With Thermal Clad, many discrete devices can be replaced at the board level.

The Anatomy of a Thermal Clad Board

Thermal Clad is a dielectric (ceramic-polymer blend) coated metalbase with a bonded copper circuit layer. This unique material offers superior heat transfer to help cool components while eliminating the problems associated with fragile ceramics.Thermal Clad is a unique, three layered system comprised of thefollowing three layers:
â–¼ Circuit Layer: This is the printed circuit foil with thickness of1oz to 10oz (35-350µm) in standard Thermal Clad.
â–¼ Dielectric Layer: This offers electrical isolation with minimumthermal resistance. The multiple-layer dielectric is the key element of Thermal Clad, and bonds the base metal and circuitmetal together. The dielectric has ULrecognition, simplifying agency acceptance of final assemblies.
â–¼ Base Layer: This is often aluminum, but other metals such ascopper may also be used. The most widely used base material thicknessis 0.062"(1.6mm) in aluminum, although manythicknessesare available. In some applications, the base layerof metal may not be needed. See specialty section on page 11.
Bergquist’s manufacturing facility located in Prescott, Wisconsin featuresstate-of-the-art process capabilities. Process manufacturing uses the latest in technology for environmental clean room control, surface finishing, coating and lamination. Circuit Layer
We can build your circuitsin our state of the art circuit manufacturing facility. For additional information regarding manufacturing capabili-ties, ask for the“ProcessTechnology” brochure. Dielectric Layer Base Layer 3