LTCC Ceramic Tape for Electronic Multi-layer Circuits
Ceramic Tape as the Basis for Electronic Multi-layer Circuits
Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics, or LTCC for short, are used to manufacture electronic multi-layer circuits on the basis of ceramic substrates. CeramTec offers unsintered, flexible ceramic tape at very high and consistent quality levels for customer use of this technology in further processing.
CeramTec LTCC tape makes it possible to realize multi-layer and three-dimensional assemblies for electronic applications. These assemblies are used in the automotive industry, medical technology, telecommunications and consumer electronics, among other areas. Multi-layer circuits featuring LTCC technology are based on flexible, unsintered ceramic tape, which CeramTec provides on a substrate for further processing. Circuits and circuit elements can be mounted on these substrates using screen printing or photochemical processes. The unburned ceramic tape is individually structured, then stacked and laminated and, finally, sintered.
From Ceramic Tape to Highly Integrated Assemblies
Depending on customer requirements, multiple layers of ceramic can be overlapped for complex wiring formations and the integration of passive components. The intelligent combination of ceramic and metalization in one production step makes it possible to produce multilayer circuit boards with interior conductors and plated through-holes, while simultaneously integrating inductances, capacities and resistances. Electronic circuits thus become three-dimensional in a single part, which can then be populated with additional components and integrated into a complete system.
In place of individual tapes or films, CeramTec LTCC is able to create a “sandwich” in the sintering furnace. Its unique composition and the inclusion of glass particles allows the ceramic to reach the desired level of hardness even at low temperatures. While corresponding ceramics have been sintered at 1,600°C until now, LTCC ceramic tape, which is leathery at first, achieves its shape at temperatures as low as 900°C – and can be sintered economically in conventional paste furnaces with almost complete rigidity and virtually no shrinkage. Above all, this makes sintering of three-dimensional LTCC sandwiches with complex connections and precise contacts between the individual layers possible in the first place
Eco-friendliness and Quality
“CeramTec LTCC ceramics are completely free of lead.”
CeramTec LTCC ceramics do not contain any lead and prior to sintering are composed mainly of alumina powder with a high glass component. Softeners are then added to keep the tape smooth, along with binders and organic ingredients. The organic substances burn off during sintering. An alumina tape can be used to combat the shrinkage process and is removed after sintering.
The secret behind the CeramTec LTCC ceramic tape quality lies both in the material and in the manufacturing process: Tape casting is carried out in state-of-the-art facilities and all products are finished and handled exclusively in clean rooms until customer delivery.
