High-power LED lights generate a large amount of heat while working, and LEDs are thermal-sensitive components. How does a high-power LED PCB transmit thermal efficiently to protect the LEDs from heat and ensure the LED light's long-term reliability? The core is the LED PCB substrate selection and the PCB layout.
PCBONLINE, a turnkey high-power PCB manufacturer, provides high-power LED PCB manufacturing and assembly from PCB prototypes to finished LED device box-build assembly. The high-power LED PCBs we manufacture include aluminum PCBs, copper-based PCBs, ceramic PCBs, and FR4 PCBs with copper busbars.
High-Power LED PCB
High-power LED systems are used for architectural lighting, stage lighting, industrial luminaires, and outdoor floodlights. They heavily rely on PCB thermal performance to protect the LED devices from overheating.
A high-power LED PCB is an LED module that integrates dozens or hundreds of LED devices or dies on a metal or ceramic substrate circuit board. A popular high-power PCB solution is directly bonding the LED chips in a COB (Chip-on-Board) package, which can easily reach 50W, 100W, 200W, or even 500W+.
At power levels of dozens and hundreds of watts, PCB substrate selection is critical for luminous efficacy, lifetime, and system reliability. The high-power LED PCBs we provide include:
- Aluminum PCBs of 1 to 2 layers,
- Copper-core PCBs of 1 to 8 layers,
- Ceramic PCBs (Al₂O₃ / AlN) of 1 layer,
- FR4 PCBs integrated with copper busbars or coins
Choosing which high-power LED PCB option depends on the thermal conductivity requirement, heat path design, reliability, and cost. Besides, the high-power LED PCB should have a low thermal resistance between the LED chip and the PCB substrate, and high voltage isolation.
Aluminum LED PCB for 10W to 100W Modules
Aluminum PCBs are the most widely used LED PCBs for medium to high-power LED modules due to their low costs.
An aluminum PCB includes a copper circuit layer of 35μm to 105μm thickness, a dielectric layer with thermal conductivity of 1W/m·K to 5W/m·K, and an aluminum base plate of 1mm to 3 mm.
The thermal conductivity of an aluminum PCB is the thermal conductivity of its dielectric layer. Usually, it is 1W/m·K to 2W/m·K. Due to the limited thermal conductivity, an aluminum PCB can't ensure reliability under extreme thermal cycling and is not suitable for high-power LED lights of 150W power and above.
For medium and most commercial high-power lighting, aluminum LED PCBs are the default option.
PCBONLINE can make aluminum LED PCBs for high-power LEDs. Below is a 96W aluminum LED light module we designed and fabricated for one of our clients.
High-Power LED Copper-Based PCB
Copper-based PCBs can be used for high-power LED applications for maximum heat spreading and current carrying. Automotive front lights and outdoor flood lights.
Copper-core PCBs use a thick copper base of 1mm to 5mm thickness. They have 1 to 8 circuit layers, offering far superior thermal and electrical conductivity compared to aluminum.
If using the same structure as aluminum PCBs, a copper-core PCB's thermal conductivity is determined by the dielectric layer, but still, it is higher than an aluminum PCB. Besides, the copper-core PCB in the traditional MCPCB structure has either one layer or two layers with dual sides.
If the LED chips are directly bonded onto the copper bumps, the copper-core PCB can be made up to 8 layers and achieve an excellent thermal conductivity of 398W/m·K, which is the thermal conductivity of copper. We call this technology thermoelectric separation.
Copper-core LED PCBs are ideal for high-power RGB modules, laser-driven LEDs, and extreme forward currents. They can be used for high-power stage lighting of 200W+, automotive lighting modules, LEDs requiring fast thermal extraction, and systems using heat pipes or vapor chambers.
Below, you can see an 8-layer copper-core high-power LED PCB manufactured by PCBONLINE. It is used for car front lights.
High-power LED copper-core PCBs are more expensive than aluminum PCBs.
Ceramic High-Power LED PCB
Ceramic PCBs are the premium choice for professional high-power LED systems.
Ceramic high-power LED PCBs usually use aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride as the substrate material made by the DPC method with 1 circuit layer. This is because DPC ceramic PCBs offer excellent thermal conductivity.
Aluminum oxide ceramic PCBs have a thermal conductivity of 20W/m·K to 30W/m·K. They are widely used in COB packages of 10W to 100W.
Aluminum nitride ceramic PCBs have a thermal conductivity of 150W/m·K to 180+W/m·K. They are preferred for UV LED, IR LED, and high-power COB modules of 200W+.
High-power ceramic LED PCBs feature an extremely low thermal resistance, excellent high-temperature reliability, high electrical insulation, and a coefficient of thermal expansion close to GaN LED chips. They are used for professional stage lighting, large COB modules of 100W to 500W, UV curing systems, automotive headlights, and high-density micro-LED arrays.
Below, you can see a high-power ceramic PCB made by PCBONLINE for stage lights. Its substrate is a ceramic and copper hybrid.
High-Power FR4 LED PCB With Copper Bars or Copper Coins
Standard FR4 has a thermal conductivity of only 0.3–0.4 W/m·K. Usually, we don't use an FR4 PCB for high-power LED lights, even if it is a high-Tg FR4 PCB using high-performance FR4.
However, if your high-power LED project requires complex multilayer routing with tight cost constraints, you may use a high-Tg FR4 PCB integrated with copper busbars or coins for large current carrying and thermal dissipation. It requires a delicate design. Besides, the circuit traces are thick copper of 3oz, 4oz, or even higher.
Below is a high-power FR4 LED PCB made by PCBONLINE for highway turn signal lights.
Select Which High-Power LED PCB?
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LED PCB type
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Thermal conductivity
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Power range
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Cost
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FR4 PCB
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0.3W/m·K to 0.4W/m·K
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Usually <1W, but 10-40W with busbars or coins
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Low
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Aluminum MCPCB
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1/m·K to 3W/m·K
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10W to 100W
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Low
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Copper base PCB
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1-8/m·K or 398W/m·K (base)
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100W to 300W
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High
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Al₂O₃ ceramic PCB
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20/m·K to 30W/m·K
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10W to 150W
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Medium–high
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AlN ceramic PCB
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150/m·K to 180+W/m·K
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150W to 500W+
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High
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Which PCB should you choose for high-power LED systems?
- For 10W–100W LED modules, aluminum MCPCB is the best balance of performance and cost. Or you can consider an FR4 PCB with copper busbars or coins.
- For 150W–300W LED modules, copper-based PCB or Al₂O₃ ceramic COB is recommended.
- For 300W–500W+ professional lighting or UV/IR LEDs, AlN ceramic (DBC/AMB) provides unmatched thermal reliability. >
Partner with PCBONLINE for Turnkey High-Power LED PCB
PCBONLINE is committed to mid and high-end PCB manufacturing and assembly, especially high-power LED PCBs. We are good at high-power/high-current LED PCBAs because we have rich experience in thermal management and large/small current separation.
Founded in 2005, PCBONLINE has two large advanced PCB manufacturing bases, one PCB assembly factory, stable supply chains, and an R&D team to provide you with solar light system circuit boards under one roof.
PCBONLINE has strong high-power LED PCB manufacturing, PCB assembly, and box-build assembly capabilities, and rich technical experience.
PCBONLINE manufactures various high-power LED PCBs, including aluminum PCBs, copper-based PCBs, and ceramic PCBs.
We can independently wire bond or flip-chip bond LED dies onto the PCB and encapsulate for COB LED PCB assembly.
In R&D, PCBONLINE excels in thermal dissipation design and electrical management, and we also take care of details in mold design, reflow/wave soldering oven temperature control, and production flow design.
We can adjust RGB/RGBW colors, light temperature, wavelength, and power according to your requirements.
We can customize the LED chips or components to meet your project demands through our long-term cooperation with our local component factory partners.
High-quality LED PCBA manufacturing certified with ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949, RoHS, REACH, UL, and IPC-A-610 Class 2/3.
If you want to get R&D assistance or get a quote for your high-power LED light project, PCBONLINE is pleased to receive your message and provide help and PCBA manufacturing services. Please email info@pcbonline.com to reach out to us. We will provide one-on-one engineering support throughout your project.
Conclusion
High-power LED PCBs are usually copper-core or ceramic-based. If the power of the LED products is not that high, aluminum PCBs or FR4 PCBs with copper busbars can be the high-power LED PCB option. PCBONLINE can assist you in deciding which high-power LED PCB to use for your project and provide one-stop PCB manufacturing and assembly. Contact us to order a turnkey high-power LED PCB assembly for any LED applications.
