Laird, a global technology company, has announced a new series of miniature thermoelectric modules (TEMs) built using Laird Tlam thermally conductive circuit boards instead of traditional ceramic-based circuit boards. The series will be shown at SPIE Photonics West 2014 on 4-6 February at the Moscone Center (booth 5435) in San Francisco, California (US). Laird will also display a wide range of thermoelectric modules and thermoelectric assemblies for thermal management of photonics and optoelectronics
The Tlam OptoTec series is designed for applications where temperature stabilisation of sensitive optical components in photonics, telecommunications, medical and consumer markets is critical. The use of the circuit board improves the heat-pumping capabilities of the device while providing better heat-spreading, improved reliability and lower cost in high volume when compared to traditional heat-removal systems.
Tlam is used in applications where the components in the circuit produce a lot of heat, such as high powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs), power supplies or motor drives. Tlam circuit boards feature a thin layer of thermally conductive dielectric material sandwiched between a top layer of standard copper foil and a thick metal backing plate for structural strength and improved heat-spreading. Traditional ceramic-based circuit boards have poor thermal conductivity so any heat produced by the circuit must radiate from the top of the circuit board. With Tlam, the heat is transported off the bottom of the circuit board where the metal backing plate quickly carries heat laterally away from hot components, reducing their temperature and extending their lifetime. The combination of the Tlam circuit board with the thermoelectric offers a completely new way to design thermal rejection systems and can reduce the complexity of moving heat away from sensitive devices.
The Tlam OptoTec series includes seven modules that can create a temperature differential (ΔT) of up to 67°C (152.6°F) and pump from 1.5 watts (W) to 9.0W of heat at an ambient temperature of 25°C (77°F). At 85°C (185°F), the series can create a ΔT of 77°C (170.6°F) and pump 1.6W to 9.9W of heat. The modules have passed Telcordia GR-468-CORE Issue 2 reliability qualification testing and are easily customisable to accommodate alternate sizes, heat-pumping capacities, unique circuit patterns and pre-tinning requirements.
The Tlam OptoTec series modules are available with an 8 to 10 week delivery lead time.
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