electronics-amplifier tutorial

Charles Nogales, VP of Engineering at Emulex, talks about the effects of heat on electronic circuits and devices, such as HBAs, and how heatsinks play a role in keeping networking and server product

Thermal management is an important design consideration with complex

devices running at high speeds and power levels as these devices can

generate significant heat. Proper thermal management can increase

product performance and life expectancy. The thermal management

requirements for a programmable device depend on its application.

AlteraR packages are designed to minimize thermal resistance

characteristics and maximize heat dissipation. However, in some cases,

complex designs require heat dissipation greater than packages provide.

This application note discusses ways to dissipate heat, how to calculate

the heat dissipation of a device, and how to determine if a device requires

a heat sink in an application.