Aluminum-based copper-clad laminate (Aluminum PCB) is a type of metal circuit board material composed of copper foil, thermal insulation layer, and metal base. Its structure consists of three layers:
Circuit Layer: Equivalent to the copper-clad layer in conventional PCBs, it has a copper foil thickness ranging from 1 oz to 10 oz.
Dielectric Layer: The dielectric layer is a low thermal resistance thermal insulation material. Its thickness ranges from 0.003" to 0.006" inches. This layer is the key component of aluminum-based copper-clad laminates and has obtained UL certification.
Base Layer: The base layer is the metal base, typically made of aluminum or copper. Aluminum-based copper-clad laminates differ from traditional epoxy glass cloth laminates.
PCB aluminum substrate consists of a circuit layer, thermal insulation layer, and metal base layer. The circuit layer (copper foil) is usually etched to form a printed circuit that interconnects various components. Generally, the circuit layer requires a high current-carrying capacity, so a thicker copper foil is used, typically ranging from 35um to 280um. The thermal insulation layer, which is the core technology of PCB aluminum substrates, is typically composed of a special polymer filled with special ceramics. It has low thermal resistance, excellent relativistic properties, heat aging resistance, and can withstand mechanical and thermal stress. High-performance PCB aluminum substrates, such as T-101, T-111, T-112, T-113, T-114, T-200, T-300, T-400, T-500, T-600, utilize this technology, enabling excellent thermal conductivity and high-strength electrical insulation. The metal base layer provides support for the aluminum substrate and requires high thermal conductivity. It is typically made of aluminum, but copper can also be used (as it provides excellent thermal conductivity). It is suitable for conventional mechanical processing such as drilling, punching, and cutting. PCB materials have advantages that cannot be compared with other materials. They are suitable for surface mount technology (SMT) assembly of power components. They do not require heat sinks, have significantly reduced volume, excellent heat dissipation performance, outstanding insulation properties, and mechanical functionality.
The characteristics of aluminum substrates are as follows:
1 Adoption of Surface Mount Technology (SMT): Aluminum substrates are compatible with SMT assembly techniques.
2 Effective handling of heat dissipation in circuit design.
3 Lowering operating temperatures, increasing power density and reliability of products, and extending their service life.
4 Reducing product size, lowering hardware and installation costs.
5 Substituting fragile ceramic substrates and achieving excellent mechanical durability.
