$ 0 0 Hi Harry, While I won't pretend to understand your system or the thermal loads that may be proximal to this part, the primary path for heat flow of this device is from the backside of the die to the lead frame which has a paddle on the backside to maximize grounding. We have a recommended land that recommends maximizing the quantity of vias from this land to ground to improve the grounding and thermal path (link attached). Just to clarify, our thermal resistance of 17.6°C/W is "junction to case" NOT "junction to ambient". With all due respect, I'm not sure what a "CCA thermal model" is or how this model arrives at 106°C board temperature with a 43°C chassis temperature." It seems that there may be components nearby (*PA's or ?) that are generating significant heat, a very thick board made of a material that may not have the best thermal properties (FR4) or other factors contributing the elevated board temperatures. I recommend that you contact the factory directly if further assistance is needed. http://www.hittite.com/support/plastic-smt-packages.html Best Regards, Marty