Quantification of free convection for embarked QFN64 electronic package: An experimental and numerical survey

Abstract.

Embarked Quad Flat Non-lead (QFN) electronic devices are equipped with a significant number of sensors used for flight parameters measurement purposes. Their accuracy directly depends on the package thermal state. Flight safety therefore depends on the reliability of these QFNs, whose junction temperature must remain as low as possible while operating. The QFN64 is favored for these applications. In the operating power range considered here (0.01-0.1W), the study shows that radiative heat transfer is negligible with respect to natural convective exchanges. It is then essential to quantify the convective heat transfer coefficient on its different areas so that the arrangement is properly dimensioned. This is the objective of this work. The device is welded on a PCB which may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane by an angle ranging from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$. Numerical approach results are confirmed by thermal and electrical measurements carried out on prototypes for all power-inclination angle combinations. The correlations here proposed help determine the natural convective heat transfer coefficient in any area of the assembly. This work allowed to thermally characterize and certify a new QFN64 package equipped with sensors designed for aeronautics, currently under industrialization process.