Low temperature co-fired ceramic (
LTCC) is a well-established multi-layer technology which has been in use for many years in the
microelectronicsMicroelectronics is a subfield of electronics. Microelectronics, as the name suggests,is related to the study and manufacture, or microfabrication, of electronic components which are very small . These devices are made from semiconductors...
packaging industry. Each of the layers are processed in parallel and only brought together in an accurately aligned stack immediately prior to firing. This is the key differentiator to serially produced multi-layer structures such as thick film hybrid interconnect and components such as
ceramic capacitorIn electronics ceramic capacitor is a capacitor constructed of alternating layers of metal and ceramic, with the ceramic material acting as the dielectric. The temperature coefficient depends on whether the dielectric is Class 1 or Class 2...
s.
LTCC technology is especially beneficial for RF and high-frequency applications.
Low temperature co-fired ceramic (
LTCC) is a well-established multi-layer technology which has been in use for many years in the
microelectronicsMicroelectronics is a subfield of electronics. Microelectronics, as the name suggests,is related to the study and manufacture, or microfabrication, of electronic components which are very small . These devices are made from semiconductors...
packaging industry. Each of the layers are processed in parallel and only brought together in an accurately aligned stack immediately prior to firing. This is the key differentiator to serially produced multi-layer structures such as thick film hybrid interconnect and components such as
ceramic capacitorIn electronics ceramic capacitor is a capacitor constructed of alternating layers of metal and ceramic, with the ceramic material acting as the dielectric. The temperature coefficient depends on whether the dielectric is Class 1 or Class 2...
s.
LTCC technology is especially beneficial for RF and high-frequency applications. In
RFRadio frequency is a frequency, or rate of oscillation, of electromagnetic radiation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz. This range corresponds to the frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radio waves...
and
wirelessWireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of electrical conductors or "wires". The distances involved may be short or long . When the context is clear, the term is often shortened to "wireless"...
applications, LTCC technology is also used to produce multilayer
hybrid integrated circuitsA hybrid integrated circuit, HIC, hybrid microcircuit, or simply hybrid is a miniaturized electronic circuit constructed of individual devices, such as semiconductor devices and passive components , bonded to a substrate or printed circuit board...
, which can include resistors, inductors, capacitors, and active components in the same package.
LTCC hybrids have a smaller initial ("non recurring") cost as compared with
ICsIn electronics, an integrated circuit is a miniaturized electronic circuit that has been manufactured in the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
, making them an attractive alternative to
ASICASIC may refer to:* Application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use* ASIC programming language, a dialect of BASIC...
s for small scale integration devices.
This technology presents advantages compared to other packaging technologies such as
HTCCHigh temperature co-fired ceramic is a multi-layer packaging technology for the electronics industry, used in military electronics, MEMS, Microprocessor and RF applications....
: the ceramic is generally fired below 1000°C due to a special composition of the material. This permits the co-firing with highly conductive materials (silver, copper and gold). LTCC also features the ability to embed passive elements, such as resistors, capacitors and inductors into the ceramic package minimising the size of the completed module.
Printed resistances: In addition to embedded components, resistors may be added to the top layer post firing. Using screen printing, a resistor paste is printed onto the LTCC surface, from which resistances needed in the circuit are generated. When fired, these resistors deviate from their design value (±25%) and therefore require adjustment to meet the final tolerance . With
Laser trimmingLaser trimming is the manufacturing process of using a laser to adjust the operating parameters of an electronic circuit.One of the most common applications uses a laser is used to burn away small portions of resistors, raising their resistance value...
one can achieve these resistances with different cut forms to the exact resistance value (±1%) desired. With this procedure, the need for additional discrete resistors can be reduced, thereby allowing a further miniaturization of the printed circuit boards.
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