Design Tool for Temperature Estimation on PCB

Inhalt:
The paper presents a novel thermal analysis approach based on an estimation of current density, power dissipation and temperature distribution of a printed circuit board. The implemented algorithms are integrated in a design tool that can be used as an add-on tool via interfaces to commercial EDA tools. The calculations are based on imported layout data from the EDA tools and not on Gerber data. The current density is calculated with a separate PEEC solver. The developed design tool automatically generates the necessary 3D model, activates the PEEC solver and extracts its calculation results. Subsequently, the implemented thermal solver of the design tool calculates the power dissipation and temperature distribution for a previously assigned current. This efficiently supports the PCB designer already during the layout process. The method is validated by simulations and measurements on typical boards.