The objective of thermal management is to ensure that the temperature of all components is maintained within functional and absolute maximum limits. The functional temperature limit is the range within which the electrical circuits can be expected to meet their specified performance requirements. Operation outside the functional limit can degrade system performance or cause logic errors. The absolute maximum temperature limit is the highest temperature that a portion of the component may be safely exposed. Temperatures exceeding the limit can cause physical destruction or may result in irreversible changes in operating characteristics.
Higher temperatures result in earlier failure of the devices in the system.
The thermal characterization data described in Table 2 illustrates that both a heat sink and airflow are needed. The size of heat sink and the amount of airflow are interrelated and can be traded off against each other. For example, an increase in heat sink size decreases the amount of airflow required. In a typical system, heat sink size is limited by board layout, spacing, and component placement. Airflow is limited by the size and number of fans along with their placement in relation to the components and the airflow channels.