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| MCPCB | Please call (800) 766-6097 or email us to get a quote. |
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Metal Core PCB Assembly
MCPCB stands for Metal Core Printed Circuit Board. A simple single layer MCPCB consists of a metal base (usually aluminum), Dielectric (non-conducting) Layer, Copper Circuit Layer, IC components and solder mask. Below is an image of the described MCPCB.
MCPCBs are used instead of traditional FR4 or CEM3 PCBs because of the ability to efficiently dissipate heat away from the components. This is achieved using a Thermally Conductive Dielectric Layer. FR4 and CEM3 PCBs can fail prematurely if heat is not properly removed from the board. One failure mode is due to thermal expansion of the circuit board which causes solder leads to break. Since heat is less of an issue IC components may be placed closer together resulting in a smaller high density PCB.
A primary application for a MCPCB is LEDs. Some LEDs dissipate between 2-5W of heat and failures occur when the heat from a LED is not properly removed; a LED’s light output is reduced as well as degradation when the heat remains stagnant in the LED package. The purpose of a MCPCB is to efficiently remove the heat from all topical IC’s (not just LEDs). The aluminum base and thermally conductive dielectric layer act as bridges between the IC’s and heat sink. One single heat sink is mounted directly to the aluminum base eliminating the need for multiple heat sinks on top of the surface mounted components.
FR4 VS MCPCB
The main difference between a FR4 board and MCPCB is the thermally conductive dielectric material in the MCPCB. This acts as a thermal bridge between the IC components and metal backing plate. Heat is conducted from the package through the metal core to an additional heat sink. On the FR4 board the heat remains stagnant if not transferred by a topical heatsink. According to Avago’s white paper (AV01-0615EN.pdf) a MCPCB with a 1W LED remained near an ambient of 25C, while the same 1W LED on a FR4 board reached 12C over ambient.
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