CeramCool® Ceramic Heat-Sink
The Ceramic Heat-Sink for Efficient Thermal Management
for High-Power LEDs and High-Power Electronics
CeramCool is the ideal ceramic heat-sink for high-power LEDs and high power electronics. Its concept of simplification and miniaturization offers a strong solution for thermally sensitive components and circuits: CeramCool’s excellent thermal conductivity and stability characteristics and its compact form make your sensitive components and circuits live longer.
CeramCool is extremely reliable. Materials that aren’t there won’t wear out. Materials that expand in proportion to each other won’t separate. CeramCool can increase the lifetime of thermally sensitive components and circuits considerably. And there’s more! Getting rid of the heat through controlled conduction stabilizes the LED’s color and offers another important advantage: A high luminous flux.
CeramCool’s simplified construction and its direct and permanent bond between the high-power LED and CeramCool – a bond without any additional components like glues or insulation layers – create ideal operating conditions for the entire assembly. Which, thanks to the corrosion-resistance of ceramics, can also be exposed directly to the atmosphere, economizing on additional insulation, cooling systems, and similar.
CeramCool is made from proven ceramic materials such as Rubalit 708®, Rubalit 710®, or Alunit® – materials that are waterproof and corrosion-resistant, possess excellent electrical characteristics and good electromagnetic compatibility, and have the thermal expansion coefficient of semiconductor materials.
What makes CeramCool so different
as a heat-sink for high-power LEDs and high power electronics?
Conventional thermal management for LEDs consists of three groups: the LED itself, Group 1; the heat-sink, Group 2; and the connection between LED and heat-sink to provide mechanical connection, electrical insulation, and thermal transmittance, Group 3. This translates into a kind of “sandwich” with multiple layers, each made from different materials, each requiring additional production steps, and each, most importantly, posing an additional obstacle to thermal conductivity.
Three groups build a thermal management system and are
examined for optimization potential. Why not eliminate block 3?
CeramCool System with only two blocks for long term stability
and high reliability.
Which translates into heat and, for sensitive components, into limited functions and reduced component lifetimes. Although comparatively cold compared to conventional light sources, LEDs are based on semiconductors which only allow temperatures below, roughly, 100 °C. To transfer the thermal energy to the surrounding area, the LED can only use a small temperature gap between 100 °C hotspot and 25 °C ambience temperature. Thus, larger surfaces and a powerful thermal management are needed.
While hundreds of different designs are in existence to improve Group 2, the heat-sink, there’s another possible improvement, and a most powerful one at that: to eliminate the connection, Group 3, altogether. With a ceramic heat-sink made from thermally conductive and electrically insulating high-tech ceramics like Rubalit (Al2O3) or Alunit (AlN), the heat-sink can perform both the tasks of Group 2 and Group 3 combined. This way, the ceramic heat-sink CeramCool acts as an effective combination of circuit board and heat-sink for the reliable cooling of thermally sensitive components and circuits.
Rtt = (T_heatslug – T_ambience ) / heat emission LED
Rtt indicates the total thermal resistance from the LEDs
headslug to the surrounding. The comprehensive factor simplifies
the comparisons of cooling systems and their efficiency.
Rtt for Valid System Comparison
The thermal resistance of LEDs (die to heat slug pad) and Heat-Sinks is available from the manufacturer. But there is little focus on group 3 and its significant influence on the total thermal performance.
Adding all thermal resistances but the LED (group 1), the total thermal resistance Rtt is born. The Rtt allows a real comparison of heat management concepts!
Two CeramCool Heat-Sink Success Stories We Are Particularly Proud Of
For the category “Best Product Innovation,” the coveted German Manufacturing Excellence Award—presented by a top-ranking panel of representatives from science and industry since 2004—went to the CeramCool Ceramic Heat-Sink for High-Power Electronics in 2007.
Dr. Alexander Dohn (center) Manager Electronics Division
for CeramTec AG, accepts the Manufacturing Excellence Award
for the best product innovation.
The high-performance multi-chip LEDs are mounted on a specially
developed CeramCool ceramic frame. Cadillac headlight
with CeramCool ceramic frame.
Illustration: Hella KGaA Hueck & Co
In 2008, lighting and electronics specialist Hella KGaA Hueck & Co launched serial production of the first fully LED based headlight for the Cadillac Escalade Platinum, with its high-performance multi-chip LEDs mounted on a CeramCool ceramic frame. The specially developed CeramCool solution provides lowest tolerances and an absolutely faultless metallization, making the LED particularly robust and fit to work reliably in temperatures ranging from -40 °C to +125 °C.
CeramTec AG
Electronic Applications Division
Mr. Rüdiger Herrmann
CeramTec-Weg 1
D-95615 Marktredwitz
Phone: +49 9231 69-453
Fax: +49 9231 62409
r.herrmann@ceramtec.de