JLC's 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' is Now in Production

In 2021, JLC launched aluminum substrates, including single-layer, double-layer, and four-layer boards, and offered them as free samples. These products have received high recognition from customers due to its cost-effectiveness. The thermal conductivity of aluminum substrates is 1W, and our daily production now reaches 1000 models. Thanks for your continuous support!

Today, the noble of metal substrates – the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' has also officially launched. With a thermal conductivity of 380W, it is 380 times that of aluminum substrates. We continue to uphold our philosophy of 'extremely high cost-performance ratio,' offering the greatest benefits to everyone.

You might be interested in:

1. Why did JLC prioritize the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' for special price sampling?

For small-power beads around 1W, aluminum substrates generally suffice, with no need for copper substrates. Copper substrates are more suitable for high-power products, such as automotive lamps that are several tens of watts or even hundreds of watts. To better meet your needs, we must offer higher quality, diverse products. Copper's thermal conductivity is around 400W, and the 'Thermal-electric Separation' process is needed to fully utilize copper's heat dissipation characteristics. Hence, JLC prioritized the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate.'

2. What are the differences between the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' and ordinary aluminum substrates/copper substrates?

For users, the most direct difference is the parameters and application scope. Ordinary aluminum/copper substrates have a thermal conductivity of 1-2W, generally in single digits, making them more suitable for small-power household LED appliances. The 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' has a thermal conductivity of 380W, suitable for high-power products that ordinary aluminum substrates cannot handle, such as automotive LEDs.

3. What are the processing capabilities of the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate,' such as hole diameters and panelization methods?

1) Layers: Single layer (single-sided thermal-electric separation copper substrate)

2) Board thickness: 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.6mm (1OZ copper thickness)

3) Minimum drilling: 1.0mm

4) Minimum size: 5*5mm, maximum size: 480*286mm (generally uses V-cut panelization, panel size after cutting must be larger than 70*70mm)

5) Minimum trace width and spacing: 0.10/0.10mm (please design wider if possible); AOI full inspection + selective flying probe test (free)

6) Solder mask color: white, matte black

7) Silkscreen color: black, white (matte black solder mask prints white characters, white solder mask prints black characters, no printing on copper surface)

8) Surface finish: OSP anti-oxidation (no immersion gold, bare copper)

9) Shipment type: Single-piece shipment, panelization V-CUT/side milling (minimum milling slot width: 1.6mm), stamp hole panelization not recommended (can be made under special circumstances, but edges may be rough)

4. Why is there a significant power difference between 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' and ordinary aluminum/copper substrates?

5. Why don't all manufacturers adopt the 'Thermal-electric Separation' high-specification process?

The 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' requires higher production processes and technologies, similar to the production of flexible boards and multilayer boards, necessitating many additional steps. In contrast, the production of ordinary aluminum and copper substrates is much simpler, akin to making standard FR-4 single-sided boards.

6. What are the design requirements for the 'protrusions' on the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate'?

The minimum width of the 'protrusions' on the 'Thermal-electric Separation Copper Substrate' is 1mm, the shape depends on design needs (mostly square pads, but they can also be designed as polygons). Mark the areas needing protrusions and create an image to compress along with the PCB file for upload (recommended to confirm production draft file for inspection).

Special note:

① All protrusions must be connected to the underlying copper base.

② 'Thermal-electric Separation' means that the heat-conducting protrusions and the electrically conducting solder pad copper surfaces must be separated. Protrusions must be independent, and not connected to the electrically conducting copper surfaces. If you need the copper surfaces to also conduct heat, you can make the copper surfaces into protrusions as well.

How to place an order?

Open JLC's order assistant > PCB Order Management > Place an order/price online, as shown:

The finished product looks like this: