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TCAN1042HV-Q1: Thermal PAD connection to GND?

Part Number: TCAN1042HV-Q1

Hi All,

Regarding the TCAN1042HV-Q1 customer chose the VSON8 package.

I realized that this package also has the thermal PAD which, as the datasheet suggests, must be soldered on the PCB in order to guarantee the correct thermal dissipation of the component.

Could you also let me know if it is useful to connect the thermal PAD to GND or if it should be left floating (soldering it, as already said, on the PCB)?

Many Thanks,

Antonio

  • Antonio,

    The thermal pad is connected to the substrate of the silicon, which has some connection to GND. The thermal needs to be soldered down, but the net can either be floating or GND, no other net. The reason GND is typically recommended is because this is usually the largest net on the PCB with the most amount of copper for thermal dissipation. So while it makes sense to tie it to GND, it can also be tied to a floating net as long as there is a sufficient amount of copper for the dissipation of heat.

    Regards,