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Concept
Co-fired ceramic
Summary
Co-fired ceramic devices are monolithic, ceramic microelectronic devices where the entire ceramic support structure and any conductive, resistive, and dielectric materials are fired in a kiln at the same time. Typical devices include capacitors, inductors, resistors, transformers, and hybrid circuits. The technology is also used for robust assembly and packaging of electronic components multi-layer packaging in the electronics industry, such as military electronics, MEMS, microprocessor and RF applications.
Co-fired ceramic devices are fabricated using a multilayer approach. The starting material is composite green tapes, consisting of ceramic particles mixed with polymer binders. The tapes are flexible and can be machined, for example, using cutting, milling, punching and embossing. Metal structures can be added to the layers, commonly using filling and screen printing. Individual tapes are then bonded together in a lamination procedure before the devices are fired in a kiln, where the polymer part of the tape is combusted and the ceramic particles sinter together, forming a hard and dense ceramic component.
Co-firing can be divided into low-temperature (LTCC) and high-temperature (HTCC) applications: low temperature means that the sintering temperature is below , while high temperature is around . The lower sintering temperature for LTCC materials is made possible through the addition of a glassy phase to the ceramic, which lowers its melting temperature.
Due to a multilayer approach based on glass-ceramics sheets, this technology offers the possibility to integrate into the LTCC body passive electrical components and conductor lines typically manufactured in thick-film technology. This differs from semiconductor device fabrication, where layers are processed serially, and each new layer is fabricated on top of previous layers.
Co-fired ceramics were first developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s to make more robust capacitors. The technology was later expanded in the 1960s to include multilayer structures similar to printed circuit boards.
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