cambridge nanotherm, a leading thermal management company focused on the cooling of led, has launched nanotherm dms, a direct-metallized single-sided thermal management solution for ultraviolet (uv) light emitting diode (led) modules, according to a report on compoundsemiconductor.net.

cambridge nanotherm has developed a cooling solution for uv leds.
(wikimedia commons)

the article explained, “uva leds are rapidly displacing traditional uv lamps in the industrial printing industry, speeding up print times and reducing cost. uvc leds are also opening up applications like portable sterilization units that can provide millions with clean drinking water, or let you sterilize your toothbrush when you're camping.”

these led also present a significant thermal challenge because only five percent of the power is converted into phonons and the rest needs to be dissipated to avoid overheating.

“as shorter wavelengths of uv light degrade organic material the choice of pcb is often limited to inorganic materials, discounting cost-effective metal-clad pcbs (mcpcbs) that rely on an organic epoxy based dielectric layer,” the article continued. “ceramics such as al₂o₃ or ain are used, but they present a conundrum to led designers - low-performance but cost-effective al₂o₃ (25w/mk), or high-performance but expensive aln (140-170w/mk).  ceramic is also brittle and prone to cracking, far from ideal for new of portable applications and equally an issue for industrial applications - overtighten a screw and the module pcb will fracture.”

nanotherm dms undergoes a patented electro-chemical oxidation process to covert its aluminum surface into an alumina dielectric layer, which has a thermal conductivity of 7.2w/mk and is only tens of microns thick. after undergoing a direct metallization process, the composite thermal capacity is 152w/mk.

the article noted, “while this is slightly inferior to the very best and most expensive ain substrates, the mechanical robustness of the nanotherm metal board permits better approaches to mounting so measured system performance exceeds that of aln.”

cambridge nanotherm sales and marketing director mike edwards said, "uv leds are opening up incredible new opportunities for applications ranging from the life changing to lifestyle changing. the challenge for module manufacturers remains how to balance thermal requirements with cost and practicality. with nanotherm dms there is now an option that brings together the performance of ceramics with the robustness and manufacturability of mcpcbs and being fully inorganic it won't degrade with use."