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LTCCs (Low-temperature co-fired ceramics) consist of three-dimensionally distributed, hermetically bonded ceramic and metallic components with structure sizes within [10; 100] µm. A non-destructive imaging technique is needed that provides 3D, sharp, high-contrast resolution of these structures, as well as porosity and defect analysis, which is made difficult by the very different X-ray absorption coefficients of the individual components of the microstructure. A HDR method is being developed that allows a combination of different tomograms, each with X-ray energies adapted to individual materials.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC surfaces.
The as-fired surfaces of free-sintered, constrained-sintered (sacrificial tape), and pressure-assisted sintered commercial LTCCs (DP951, CT708, CT800), as well as respective polished surfaces, were analyzed by tactile and optical roughness measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The thin-film capability of the LTCC surfaces was assessed by sheet resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of deposited Ni thin-film layers. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. Ni thin films on constrained sintered DP951 show the lowest sheet resistance and highest TCR within the experimental framework of the as-fired surfaces. The influence of surface morphology on the film properties is discussed.
The 5G technology promises real time data transmission for industrial processes, autonomous driving, virtual and augmented reality, E-health applications and many more. The Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) technology is well suited for the manufacturing of microelectronic components for such applications. Still, improvement of the technology such as further miniaturization is required. This study focuses on the characterization of inner metallization of LTCC multilayer modules, especially on the vertical interconnect access (VIA). Critical considerations for this characterization are delamination, pore clustering in and at the edge of the VIA, deformation, and stacking offset. A LTCC multilayer consisting of a glassy crystalline matrix with silver based VIAs was investigated by synchrotron x-ray tomography (CT). The aim of this study is to propose a multitude of structural characteristic values to maximize the information gained from the available dataset. Data analysis has been done with the open source software ImageJ as well as several additional plugins. The high-resolution CT data was evaluated through 2D slices for accessibility reasons. The segmentation of all 2000 slices to assess the different regions e.g. pores, silver and glass ceramic was done by a supervised machine learning algorithm. A quantitative evaluation of shape, deformation, and porosity of the VIA with respect to its dimensions is presented and the suitability of the characterization approach is assessed.
The 5G technology promises real time data transmission for industrial processes, autonomous driving, virtual and augmented reality, E-health applications and many more. The Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) technology is well suited for the manufacturing of microelectronic components for such applications. Still, improvement of the technology such as further miniaturization is required. This study focuses on the characterization of inner metallization of LTCC multilayer modules, especially on the vertical interconnect access (VIA). Critical considerations for this characterization are delamination, pore clustering in and at the edge of the VIA, deformation, and stacking offset. A LTCC multilayer consisting of a glassy crystalline matrix with silver based VIAs was investigated by synchrotron x-ray tomography (CT). The aim of this study is to propose a multitude of structural characteristic values to maximize the information gained from the available dataset. Data analysis has been done with the open source software ImageJ as well as several additional plugins. The high-resolution CT data was evaluated through 2D slices for accessibility reasons. The segmentation of all 2000 slices to assess the different regions e.g. pores, silver and glass ceramic was done by a supervised machine learning algorithm. A quantitative evaluation of shape, deformation, and porosity of the VIA with respect to its dimensions is presented and the suitability of the characterization approach is assessed.
Structuring of LTCC substrates by a combination of pressure-assisted sintering and hot-embossing
(2015)
A novel technology for the structuring of LTCC surfaces is introduced. The material is shaped in a zero-shrinkage process by embossing a glassy carbon mold into the softened LTCC directly after termination of the shrinkage. Three commercially available LTCC compositions (Ceramtape GC, Heratape CT707, and DP951) were tested. Diverse raised and lowered structures including rings, grids, and characters were fabricated. Different material behavior was observed for the tested compositions. Promising results were achieved with Ceramtape GC. Embossing of precise, 40 µm deep circular cavities and 50 µm high raised characters is demonstrated. Processing of 100 × 100 mm² substrates is possible. DP951 showed very good moldability, but also unwanted material displacement due to evaporating lead. A high displacement capacity but uneven heights of embossed structures were observed on CT707 samples. SEM investigations proved the precise transfer of surface contours from the mold to the LTCC. Thereby, the high potential of the hot-embossing process for micro-patterning of LTCC is illustrated.
Chemical variability is a main strength of glass. Glass powders are therefore promising candidates for manufacturing a broad diversity of sintered materials like sintered ¬glass-ceramics, glass matrix composites or glass bonded ceramics with tailored mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical properties and complex shape. Its wide and precise adjustability makes this class of materials, even if it may not be obvious at first sight, a key component of advanced technologies. Manufacture and processing of initial glass powders often allow even more flexibility in materials design. At the same time, however, they can cause additional problems. The lecture illustrates possible consequences of glass powder processing upon glass crystallization and sintering as well as chances for targeted utilization. Simple kinetic models describing the effect of particle size distribution, surface crystallization and rigid inclusions on sintering as well effects of different milling and seeding on sinter crystallization are presented.
Advancements in pressure-assisted sintering technology for low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC)
(2016)
Steadily increasing demands on design and dimensional accuracy of ceramic multilayer modules, as well as the processing of new materials, require continuous improvements of manufacturing technology, especially thermal processes. The capabilities of pressure-assisted sintering (PAS) for the manufacturing of highly integrated low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) multilayer have been considerably extended in the last years by procedural and device-related advancements. A lambda probe has been integrated in a sintering press prototype to monitor and control the process atmosphere. Thereby, the development of oxygen partial pressure during binder burnout of real modules can be observed. On the other hand, the oxygen partial pressure can be regulated during densification, for example to prevent diffusion of silver from circuit paths into the surrounding LTCC. Thin-film capable surfaces can be produced without post-processing by using setter plates made of glass-like carbon in an advanced PAS process under nitrogen. A newly developed advancement of this approach enables in-situ hot-embossing of LTCC during PAS by using structured glass-like carbon molds. The prototype press is further extended by a sensitive displacement transducer for monitoring the thickness shrinkage of real modules with an edge length of up to 8 inch.
Novel approaches of tunable devices for millimeter wave applications based on liquid crystal (LC) are presented. In the first part of the paper, a novel concept of a tunable LC phase shifter realized in Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics technology is shown while the second part of the paper deals with a tunable high-gain antenna based on an LC tunable reflectarray. The reflectarray features continuously beam scanning in between ±25°. Also first investigations on radiation hardness of LCs are carried out, indicating that LCs might be suitable for space applications.