Good thermal design on the application board is essential for maximizing the performance and battery life of nRF9151. Poor thermal design causes nRF9151's built-in thermal protection to trigger more easily, preventing nRF9151 from transmitting and receiving Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and DECT NR+ data.
A summary of the thermal characteristics of nRF9151 is shown in the following table.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum average power consumption | 1300 mW |
| Maximum heat power dissipation | 1050 mW |
| Maximum operating temperature | 85°C |
| RThetaJA (Module-to-Ambient) | 25.5°C/W |
| RThetaJB (Module-to-Board) | 8.0°C/W |
| RThetaJC (Module-to-Case) | 6.6°C/W |
| Maximum allowed Tc (Module case temperature) | 85°C |
| Maximum Allowed Tj (Worst case of module components) | 85°C |
Note: The thermal characteristics are measured at 3.7 V and 25°C with a 50 Ω
load in still air conditions. The measurements use a module mounted on a 74x54x1.2 mm 6-layer PCB with high copper coverage on
all metal layers.
Note: The RF PA main thermal relief is through the large GND pin 108 at the bottom
of nRF9151. Minimize the thermal resistance to the system board.