What is electronics cooling?

Electronics cooling is the targeted removal of a component's power dissipation to a coolant. The goal is to keep the junction temperature below the permitted limit and so protect performance and service life.

When is air cooling enough and when do you need liquid cooling?

Air cooling suits moderate power dissipation with enough space. At high power density, tight space or a very low target thermal resistance, liquid cooling is the more efficient solution.

How do you cool power electronics such as IGBTs or MOSFETs?

The total thermal resistance from junction to coolant is decisive. At high power dissipation on a small area, a liquid cooling solution with a cold plate is usually used to keep the junction temperature safely within limits.

How do I lower the temperature in electronics?

By reducing the total thermal resistance: better thermal interface materials, larger contact areas, shorter heat paths and more capable cooling, for example switching from air to liquid cooling.

Which heat sink suits my application?

It depends on power dissipation, space and coolant. For air cooling, bonded-fin or pin-fin heat sinks are options; for high power densities, cold plates with pressed-in tubes or internal structures. We size the right solution individually.

What does heat dissipation (Entwärmung) mean in electronics?

Heat dissipation is another term for removing the waste heat from electronic assemblies. It covers the whole path of the heat from the component through thermal interface materials and heat sinks to the ambient or the coolant.

Electronics cooling: reliably cool power electronics and semiconductors

Rising power density makes heat dissipation the decisive factor. This guide shows when air cooling is enough, when liquid cooling becomes necessary, and how to size the right cooling solution for your power electronics.

Why electronics cooling determines performance and service life

Wherever electrical energy turns into heat, that heat has to be removed reliably. Operating temperature directly affects service life: as a rule of thumb, a rise of just 10 Kelvin already halves a component's expected lifetime.

Modern systems with high power density quickly reach the limits of natural convection. If the heat stays in the component, performance and reliability drop, and in the worst case the system fails. A well-sized electronics cooling solution keeps the junction temperature safely below the limit.

Electronics cooling is the targeted removal of a component's power dissipation to a coolant so the junction temperature stays below the permitted limit. Depending on power dissipation and available space, air-cooled heat sinks or liquid coolers are used.

Air cooling or liquid cooling: the basic decision

The right cooling technique depends mainly on power dissipation, power density and available space. The following guidance helps with the first decision.

Air cooling suits you when

power dissipation is moderate and the thermal resistance is achievable with a heat sink
there is enough space and airflow available
a simple, low-maintenance solution is preferred

Liquid cooling pays off when

high power dissipation has to be removed in a small space
an even temperature distribution with few hotspots is required
air cooling reaches its physical limits

Limits of air cooling → Air cooling vs liquid cooling in detail →

Electronics cooling methods at a glance

Passive air cooling

Heat sinks release heat without a fan, through natural convection and radiation. Suitable for low to medium power dissipation with enough space.

Forced air cooling

Fans or blowers actively move air across the heat sink. This lowers the thermal resistance significantly and reaches higher power dissipation, for example with bonded-fin or pin-fin heat sinks.

Liquid cooling

Cold plates with flow channels transport heat far more effectively than air. The first choice for high power density, tight space and a low target thermal resistance.

Cooling power electronics and semiconductors

Power semiconductors such as IGBTs, MOSFETs or SiC devices produce high power dissipation on a very small area. To keep the junction temperature in the safe range, the total thermal resistance from junction to coolant must be small enough. At high power dissipation, there is usually no way around liquid cooling.

Example from practice

An IGBT dissipating 2000 W over 0.03 m², with a maximum component temperature of 70 °C and 20 °C ambient, gives a required thermal resistance of about 0.025 K/W. This value can no longer be reached with air cooling. A liquid cooling solution with a cold plate is required here.

Choose the right cold-plate design →