March 2008

Rev 3

1/22

AN533

Application note

SCRs, TRIACs, and AC switches,

thermal management precautions for handling and mounting

Introduction

The behavior of a semiconductor device depends on the temperature of its silicon chip. This

is why electrical parameters are given at a specified temperature.

To sustain the performance of a component and to avoid failure, the temperature has to be

limited by managing the heat transfer between the chip and the ambient atmosphere. The

aim of this note is to show how to calculate a suitable heatsink for a semiconductor device

and the precautions needed for handling, mounting and soldering techniques.

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