Heat dissipation design and analysis of high power LED array using the finite element method

High-power Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology has developed rapidly in recent years from illumination to display applications. However, the rate of heat generation increases with the LED illumination intensity. The LED chip temperature has an inverse proportion with the LED lifetime. High-power LED arrays with good thermal management can have improved lifetime. Therefore, for better optical quality and longer LED lifetime it is important to solve the LED thermal problems of all components. In particular, Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) substrate heat sink design and thermal interface materials are key issues for thermal management. This paper presents an integrated multi-fin heat sink design with a fan on MCPCB substrate for a high-power LED array using the finite element method (FEM). The multi-fin heat sink design and simulation results provide useful information for LED heat dissipation and chip temperature estimation. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.