Advanced thermal tester for accurate measurement of internal thermal resistance of high power electronic modules

Abstract

A thermal tester has been developed for the accurate measurement of the internal thermal resistance of high-power electronic modules. The tester is designed for the simultaneous measurement of 20 electronic modules each dissipating in excess of 200 W. The heat dissipated is transmitted to the ambient by water-cooled cold plates dedicated to each test site. The tester system layout, mounting assembly, system hydraulic design, cold-plate spreader design and data acquisition instrumentation are described. Sample measurements and the associated uncertainty are also discussed. The sample results are verified by comparison with thermal modeling.