LTCC Thick Film Process Characterization

Abstract

Low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology has proven itself in military/space electronics, wireless communication, microsystems, medical and automotive electronics, and sensors. The use of LTCC for high frequency applications is appealing due to its low losses, design flexibility and packaging and integration capability. The LTCC thick film process is summarized including some unconventional process steps such as feature machining in the unfired state and thin film definition of outer layer conductors. The LTCC thick film process was characterized to optimize process yields by focusing on these factors: 1) Print location, 2) Print thickness, 3) Drying of tapes and panels, 4) Shrinkage upon firing, and 5) Via topography. Statistical methods were used to analyze critical process and product characteristics in the determination towards that optimization goal.

Novel Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic Manufacturing Techniques for a Magnetron Field Emission Cathode

“…If the printer does not have a built-in heater to dry the paste, the sheet and backing paper are then placed into a heater to dry the paste. Other printers use the vacuum to pull the paste into the vias and would not require the backing paper [64,65,66].…”