SPRADB7 September   2023 AM2431 , AM2432 , AM2434 , AM2631 , AM2631-Q1 , AM2632 , AM2632-Q1 , AM2634 , AM2634-Q1 , AM2732 , AM2732-Q1

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
    1. 1.1 How to Use This Application Note
    2. 1.2 Glossary
  5. 2Thermal Resistance Overview
    1. 2.1 Junction Vs. Ambient Temperature
    2. 2.2 Package Defined Thermal Resistance Characteristics
    3. 2.3 Board Defined Thermal Resistances
  6. 3Board Design Choices that Affect Thermal Performance
    1. 3.1 Thermal Vias
    2. 3.2 Board Size
    3. 3.3 Air Flow, Heat Sinking, and Enclosures
    4. 3.4 Copper Thickness
    5. 3.5 Relative Position of Heat Emitters
    6. 3.6 Layer Count
    7. 3.7 Breaks in Thermal Pathing
  7. 4Thermal Design Best Practices Review
  8. 5AM263x EVM Thermal Comparison with Data
    1. 5.1 Test Setup and Materials
    2. 5.2 Measurement Logging Software
    3. 5.3 AM263x EVM Comparison
    4. 5.4 Measurement Results
      1. 5.4.1 Lid Temperature Readings
      2. 5.4.2 Power Readings over Temperature
      3. 5.4.3 Calculated Thermal Resistance Values
      4. 5.4.4 Recorded Junction and Ambient Temperatures
      5. 5.4.5 Calculated Junction Temperature at Ambient Temperature Extremes
  9. 6Using the Thermal Model
  10. 7References

3.6 Layer Count

Similar to increasing copper thickness, increasing the number of ground layer copper pours to distribute heat will significantly improve thermal performance. Increasing the total layer count will also generally decrease thermal resistance but the results will not be as notable if ground layers are not included.

If the system is being designed with less than 6 layers (2 ground layers) then it is critical to ensure all other thermal concerns of the PCB are being minimized through other design choices.

For best thermal performance:

  • Increase the total number of layers
  • Increase the number of ground layer copper pours
Table 3-6 AM263x EVM Layer Count Comparison
Measurement TMDSCNCD263 LP-AM263
Total number of layers 10 6
Ground layers 4 2