Archive for the ‘DBC substrate’ Category

Friday, October 4th, 2024

Board electronics with holes The types of vias in PCB include through holes, blind holes and buried holes, which have different characteristics and requirements in design and manufacturing. The selection of the appropriate via type should consider the number of PCB layers, wiring density, signal frequency, cost budget and production process. The via design should pay attention to avoid affecting the welding quality, preventing electrical short circuits, and saving costs in high-density packaging.

What are the holes in a PCB called?

What are the holes on PCB called? What are the holes in the circuit? The holes on PCB can be roughly divided into 3 types, screw holes (mounting holes), conductive holes (vias), and plug-in holes.

Screw holes: Screw holes are used for fixing.

Conductive holes: Conductive holes (also called vias) are used for conducting electricity just like circuits.

Plug-in holes: Plug-in holes are of course used to plug in various parts, such as diodes, transistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.

What is a through hole

What is a through hole? Through holes, also known as perforations, are holes in a PCB that go all the way through the board. Their main purpose is to provide electrical connections for component pins while allowing soldering on both sides of the board.

1.A via is a special through hole whose wall is metallized to achieve electrical connection between different layers on a circuit board. This type of hole is usually used to connect component pins to internal circuits, or to achieve electrical connection between different layers in a multi-layer PCB. Vias need to be metallized during the PCB manufacturing process, which usually includes drilling, desmearing, chemical copper plating, and electroplating.

2.Non-conducting holes are the opposite of through holes. Their hole walls are not metallized, so they do not have electrical connection functions. These holes are mainly used for mechanical fixation, heat dissipation or identification purposes. Non-conducting holes are relatively simple in the PCB manufacturing process, and only drilling operations are required.

What is a blind via?

A blind via is a hole that extends from one side of a PCB to a certain internal layer without penetrating the entire board. The emergence of blind vias is mainly due to the development of HDI technology, which provides circuit designers with greater flexibility and more compact layout. Blind vias are usually used to connect surface mount components (SMD) to internal circuit layers, or to connect circuits between different internal layers.

What are buried vias?

Buried vias are holes located inside the PCB that do not penetrate any side of the board. They are completely hidden inside the board and are used to connect circuits between different internal layers. Buried vias are especially useful in HDI boards because they can reduce the overall thickness of the board while maintaining electrical connections between internal circuits.

What is a microvia?

Microvia refers to a hole with a smaller diameter, usually at the micron level. The emergence of microvia technology enables PCB designers to achieve more complex circuit layouts in a smaller space. Microvias are often used in high-density, high-reliability electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets. The manufacture of microvias requires high-precision drilling equipment and technology to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the holes.

What are Mounting holes？

What are Mounting holes?Locking holes are auxiliary holes used in the PCB manufacturing and assembly process to accurately locate and fix the circuit board. They are usually located at the edge or specific position of the PCB to ensure that the circuit board can be accurately aligned and fixed during manufacturing, testing and assembly. The locating holes do not participate in the connection of the circuit, but are essential to ensure the quality and performance of the circuit board.

What are Mounting holes？

What are thermal vias?

Thermal vias are holes designed specifically for heat dissipation, usually large and can run through the entire PCB or multiple layers. Their role is to reduce heat buildup on the circuit board by increasing surface area and air flow, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the device. Thermal vias are particularly important in high-performance, high-power electronic devices.

FAQ About board electronics with holes

How to solve the contradiction between manual routing and automatic routing of high-speed signals?

Most of the current powerful routing software’s automatic routing tools have set constraints to control the routing method and the number of vias. The routing engine capabilities and constraint setting items of various EDA companies are sometimes very different. For example, whether there are enough constraints to control the winding method of the serpentine, whether the routing spacing of the differential pair can be controlled, etc. This will affect whether the routing method generated by automatic routing can meet the designer’s ideas. In addition, the difficulty of manually adjusting the routing is also related to the capabilities of the routing engine. For example, the pushing ability of the routing, the pushing ability of the via, and even the pushing ability of the routing pair copper. Therefore, choosing a routing tool with strong routing engine capabilities is the solution.

Will adding test points affect the quality of high-speed signals?

As for whether it will affect the signal quality, it depends on the method of adding test points and how fast the signal is. Basically, the additional test points (not using the existing vias (via or DIP pins) as test points) may be added to the line or a small section of wire may be pulled out from the line. The former is equivalent to adding a very small capacitor to the line, while the latter is an additional branch. Both of these situations will have some impact on high-speed signals, and the extent of the impact is related to the frequency speed of the signal and the edge rate of the signal. The magnitude of the impact can be learned through simulation. In principle, the smaller the test point, the better (of course, it must meet the requirements of the test equipment) and the shorter the branch, the better.

Can you introduce some foreign technical books and data on high-speed PCB design?

Now the application of high-speed digital circuits includes communication networks and calculators and other related fields. In the communication network, the operating frequency of PCB boards has reached around GHz, and the number of layers is as many as 40 layers as far as I know. Due to the advancement of chips, the operating frequency of calculator-related applications, whether it is a general PC or server, has reached 400MHz (such as Rambus) or above. In response to the demand for high-speed and high-density routing, the demand for blind/buried vias, mircrovias and build-up process technology is gradually increasing. These design requirements can be mass-produced by manufacturers.

Does the design of rigid-flexible boards require special design software and specifications? Where can I undertake the processing of such circuit boards in China?

Can I use general PCB design software to design flexible printed circuits (Flexible Printed Circuit). The Gerber format is also used for FPC manufacturers to produce. Since the manufacturing process is different from that of general PCBs, each manufacturer will have its own restrictions on line width, line spacing, and aperture (via) based on their manufacturing capabilities. In addition, some copper foil can be laid at the turning point of the flexible circuit board for reinforcement. As for the manufacturer, you can search for “FPC” as a keyword on the Internet and you should be able to find it.

If the size of the circuit board is fixed, if the design needs to accommodate more functions, it is often necessary to increase the routing density of the PCB, but this may lead to increased mutual interference between the routings, and at the same time, the impedance cannot be reduced if the routing is too thin. Please introduce the techniques in the design of high-speed (>100MHz) high-density PCBs?

When designing high-speed and high-density PCBs, crosstalk interference does need to be paid special attention to because it has a great impact on timing and signal integrity. Here are a few things to note:

Control the continuity and matching of the characteristic impedance of the trace.

The size of the trace spacing. The spacing commonly seen is twice the line width. Through simulation, you can know the impact of trace spacing on timing and signal integrity and find the tolerable spacing. The results of different chip signals may be different.

Choose an appropriate termination method.

Avoid the same routing direction of the upper and lower adjacent layers, or even have traces overlapped up and down, because this kind of crosstalk is greater than the case of adjacent traces on the same layer.

Use blind/buried vias to increase the trace area. However, the production cost of the PCB board will increase. It is indeed difficult to achieve complete parallelism and equal length in actual implementation, but it should be done as much as possible.

In addition, differential termination and common mode termination can be reserved to mitigate the impact on timing and signal integrity.

The RF part, IF part, and even the low-frequency circuit part of the outdoor unit are often deployed on the same PCB. What are the material requirements for such PCB? How to prevent interference between RF, IF, and even low-frequency circuits?

Hybrid circuit design is a big problem. It is difficult to have a perfect solution.

Generally, RF circuits are laid out and wired as an independent single board in the system, and there will even be a special shielding cavity. Moreover, RF circuits are generally single-sided or double-sided boards, and the circuits are relatively simple. All of these are to reduce the impact on the distributed parameters of RF circuits and improve the consistency of RF systems. Compared with general FR4 materials, RF circuit boards tend to use high-Q substrates. The dielectric constant of this material is relatively small, the distributed capacitance of the transmission line is small, the impedance is high, and the signal transmission delay is small. In hybrid circuit design, although RF and digital circuits are made on the same PCB, they are generally divided into RF circuit area and digital circuit area, and laid out and wired separately. Shielding is used between ground vias and shielding boxes.

Is PCB design hard to learn?

PCB design is not difficult to learn. The key lies in mastering the relevant basic knowledge and practical experience.

PCB design mainly involves electronic circuit knowledge and software operation skills. For people with electronic circuit foundation, it is relatively easy to learn the use of PCB design software. It is important that learners should use their spare time to learn and practice at the same time. They can assist in learning by watching video tutorials. These resources can help understand the basic concepts and skills of circuit design and software operation.

In addition, the difficulty of PCB design lies mainly in the design of wiring rules, which is the most complex and critical part of PCB design. Beginners should pay attention to the design of conventional constraint rules, such as the size of vias, line width and line spacing, etc., which need to be mastered through practical operation and practice. Just reading materials is not enough. Practical operation and practice are the key to improving PCB design capabilities.

In general, although PCB design involves certain technical difficulties, it can be gradually mastered through systematic learning and practice.

What should I learn before PCB design?

Before PCB design, you need to learn the following key knowledge and skills:

1. Basic knowledge reserve: First of all, you need to understand various electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, triodes, integrated circuits, etc. You also need to be familiar with common circuit topologies, such as amplifier circuits, filter circuits, oscillation circuits, and their functions and representation methods in circuits.

2. PCB design software: Be proficient in at least one PCB design software for schematic design, component layout, wiring, and generation of PCB production files, such as Altium Designer, EAGLE, PADS, OrCAD, etc.

3. Circuit board manufacturing process: Understand the manufacturing process of PCB circuit boards, including substrate material selection, circuit pattern transfer, etching, drilling, welding, assembly, etc.

4. Component packaging: Familiar with the packaging types and sizes of various components, such as DIP, SOP, QFP, BGA, etc., as well as their characteristics and usage scenarios.

5. Basic terms and concepts: Master some basic PCB terms, such as microstrip, stripline, differential line, via, solder mask, silk screen, structural diagram, etc.

6. Circuit function and signal flow: Understand the function and signal flow of the circuit, and be able to distinguish between digital circuits and analog circuits, as well as places with large and small currents.

By mastering the above knowledge and skills, you can better design and layout circuits, improve the performance and reliability of circuit boards,

Which software is used for PCB design?

1. Altium Designer is a powerful PCB design software that provides a wealth of tools and libraries to quickly create complex circuit board designs. This software has an intuitive interface and powerful simulation functions to help designers quickly verify the correctness of the design. It also supports multiple design file formats, which is convenient for collaboration with other design tools.

2. Cadence Allegro is a comprehensive circuit board design software with powerful layout and routing tools, as well as multiple simulation and verification tools to ensure the correctness of the design. It also supports multiple design file formats for team collaboration.

3. Mentor Graphics DesignX is also a powerful PCB design software that provides a variety of tools and libraries to help designers quickly create complex circuit board designs. It also has an intuitive interface and powerful simulation functions, and supports multiple design file formats.

4. PADS is a professional circuit board design software with powerful layout, routing, simulation and verification functions, which can quickly complete complex PCB design work. It also supports multiple design file formats, which is convenient for collaboration with other design tools.

These software are all commonly used PCB design tools with powerful layout, routing, simulation and verification functions, which can help designers quickly complete complex PCB design work.

What is the basic rule of PCB design?

The basic rules of PCB design involve many aspects, including layout, routing, power and ground design, signal integrity, etc.

1. Layout design:

Follow the design principle of placing in a straight line along the signal flow direction to avoid the signal from circling back and forth to reduce the impact of direct signal coupling.

The filtering, protection and isolation devices of the interface circuit should be placed close to the interface to achieve effective protection, filtering and isolation effects.

For high-speed signals or high-current signals, multi-layer board design should be considered to control the signal loop area.

2. Wiring rules:

Control the length of the trace, especially for important signal lines, such as clock signals, the trace length should be shortened as much as possible to reduce unnecessary interference.

Avoid forming self-loop traces to reduce radiation interference.

Follow the principle of minimum ground loop, design the signal line and its loop to form the smallest possible loop area to reduce external radiation and external interference.

3. Power and ground design:

The power plane should be retracted a certain distance relative to its return ground plane to effectively suppress edge radiation problems.

Avoid overlapping of different power layers in space to reduce interference between different power supplies.

4. Drawing:

When drawing the board frame, a specific line width should be used to ensure that the error between the board frame size and the assembly size is within the allowable range.

Set a reasonable origin to ensure that the coordinates of the SMT original are within the first quadrant.

Set a prohibited area, especially prohibiting routing and placing components within a certain range around the mounting hole.

Following these basic rules can ensure the effectiveness and reliability of PCB design, while improving product performance and user experience.

How long does it take to design a PCB board?

It takes about 1-2 days to design a PCB board, and the specific time depends on multiple factors, including the number of layers of the PCB, design complexity, etc.

‌Number of layers and complexity‌: The more layers the PCB has, the more complicated the design process is, and more time and delicate work are required to ensure the correctness and performance of the circuit.

‌Design stage‌: PCB design includes multiple steps such as design layout, schematic drawing, and PCB design conversion.

The time to design a PCB board is a comprehensive estimate involving multiple stages and factors.

What is the proper PCB layout?

Proper PCB layout involves many aspects, including structural requirements, heat dissipation considerations, component spacing, routing rules, etc. ‌

‌Structural requirements‌: First, the PCB layout must meet the structural requirements, including the location arrangement of structural components such as power sockets and DVI interfaces.

‌Heat dissipation considerations‌: The distribution of heat sinks should be even to ensure good ventilation of the air path. Avoid heat sinks blocking the air path to avoid affecting the heat dissipation effect‌.

‌Component spacing‌: Capacitors, ICs, etc. should be kept away from thermal components to avoid being affected by heat.

‌Routing rules‌: The design of the current loop should consider the convenience of threading, and the lead hole spacing should not be too far or too close. The layout of input/output and AC/socket should meet the consistency of the length of the two lines, leaving a certain space margin, and pay attention to the position of the plug wire buckle and the convenience of plugging and unplugging‌.

‌Special component layout‌: For high-frequency components and components with high potential difference, the distance between them should be increased to avoid electrical interference and damage.

Wiring design parameters‌: including the line width of the copper trace, the minimum gap between the copper foil traces, the minimum distance between the copper foil traces and the edge of the PCB board, etc. ‌ .

In summary, the correct PCB layout is a process that comprehensively considers the structure, heat dissipation, component spacing, routing rules and wiring design parameters, aiming to optimize the performance and reliability of the circuit board.

Conclusion:

Designing a PCB board is a complex and meticulous process involving multiple steps and considerations. Systematically complete the design process of a PCB board. Each step requires careful operation and multiple checks to ensure the quality and reliability of the final product. ‌ BEST Technology’s PCB designers have many years of design experience and are far ahead in the industry design. We can meet any PCB design you need.

How is the ceramic pcb made by HTCC process? ‌

First of all, the starting material of HTCC (high temperature co-fired ceramics) process is ceramic powder (such as Al2O3 or AlN), and these materials need to be mixed with organic binder to form paste ceramic slurry. Then, the ceramic slurry is scraped into a sheet by using a scraper, and a green embryo is formed through a drying process. After the green embryo is formed, through holes are drilled according to the circuit layer design, and then the wiring and hole filling are carried out by screen printing metal paste. Finally, the germ layers are stacked and sintered in a high temperature furnace (about 1600 C). ‌

Specifically, the ‌HTCC process flow includes the following key steps:

Casting molding method: the ceramic slurry is scraped into a thin strip with uniform thickness, and dried by blowing filtered hot air opposite to the moving direction of the conveyor belt to form a green sheet.

Punching: Through mechanical drilling, mechanical punching or laser drilling, through holes are punched in the green blank. The size, position and accuracy of these holes directly affect the on-off and wiring density in the substrate.

Through-hole filling: the filling slurry is extruded into the through-hole of the green porcelain by mask printing method to complete the metallization process of the green porcelain.

Lamination, slicing and co-firing: the printed germ layers are laminated, then sliced and finally co-fired at high temperature. ‌

After the completion of this series of steps, a high-temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC) substrate is obtained, which has excellent electrical and mechanical properties and is widely used in the manufacture of electronic products requiring high performance. ‌

How is the ceramic pcb made by LTCC process?

The first step is to prepare raw materials. The raw materials of ‌LTCC are mainly composed of ceramic powder and organic additives. Ceramic powders, such as alumina and zirconia, are used to improve the insulation and mechanical strength of ceramic materials. Organic additives are used to increase viscosity and improve plasticity, which is convenient for the subsequent molding process. ‌

Then there is circuit printing, the purpose of which is to print circuit patterns on ceramic substrates, usually using shielding printing technology. Firstly, the ceramic substrate is cleaned and coated with conductive metal ink. Then, the circuit pattern is transferred to the substrate by stamping with a printing die. Then, through the baking process, the conductive ink is solidified on the substrate to form a conductive circuit. ‌

The third step is a sintering process, in which ceramic materials are chemically reacted at high temperature to combine their particles to form a compact ceramic body. In the process of sintering, the control of temperature gradient and atmosphere is very important to reduce the stress of materials and prevent them from oxidation.

In the final step of finished product inspection and subsequent treatment, the sintered ceramic substrate needs to be inspected first, including appearance quality inspection, size measurement, electrical performance test and other items. Qualified products can be subjected to subsequent electronic component packaging processes, such as welding, film covering, gas packaging, etc., to realize the protection and connection of electronic components. ‌

To sum up, the manufacturing process of ceramic PCB by ‌LTCC process involves many steps, such as precise material selection, processing, circuit printing, sintering, finished product inspection and subsequent treatment, to ensure the quality and performance of the final product.

How is the ceramic pcb made by DBC process?

The first step is the preparation of raw materials. First, it is necessary to select suitable ceramic substrate materials. Common materials include alumina (Al2O3) and aluminum nitride (AlN), which have high insulation, high thermal conductivity and good mechanical strength. The surface of the substrate should be cleaned and treated first to ensure the bonding with the subsequent copper foil. ‌‌

Then the bonding between copper foil and ceramic substrate is the core step of DBC manufacturing process. At a certain temperature and pressure, the copper foil is closely attached to the ceramic substrate to form a firm bonding interface. It is necessary to control the parameters such as temperature, pressure and time in the bonding process to ensure the bonding quality and performance. ‌

Secondly, after the bonding is completed, the copper foil needs to be etched to form the required circuit pattern. Chemical etching or laser etching can be used in the etching process. By precisely controlling the etching depth and width, high-precision and high-resolution circuit patterns can be obtained. ‌

Finally, the DBC structure is cleaned, dried and tested. The purpose of this is to remove residues and improve the reliability and stability of products. ‌

Through the above steps, high-performance DBC ceramic substrates can be prepared, which are widely used in the packaging of intelligent power modules and electric vehicle power modules. ‌

How is the ceramic pcb made by DPC process?

Firstly, the ceramic substrate is pretreated and cleaned to ensure the cleanliness of the substrate surface and prepare for the subsequent deposition and copper plating process. ‌

Then the key step is to deposit a Ti/Cu layer on the surface of the substrate as a seed layer by vacuum sputtering technology. This step is the most important in DPC process.

Followed by photolithography, development and etching processes, the circuit is completed.

Finally, the thickness of the circuit is increased by electroplating or electroless plating to enhance the conductivity and durability of the circuit. After the metallized circuit is manufactured, the photoresist is removed, and finally the substrate is manufactured. ‌

The manufacturing process of ceramic PCB by DPC process involves vacuum sputtering, photolithography, development, etching and electroplating, which makes the ceramic PCB by DPC process have good conductivity and durability, and is suitable for various electronic application scenarios. ‌

With the increasing use of ceramic PCB, in order to adapt to some application fields, many different process technologies have emerged, and each process technology has its own unique technology. For example, HTCC process needs to be sintered at high temperature to achieve its goal. According to the different environment used and the production cost, the appropriate ceramic PCB production technology is selected. BEST Technology has rich experience in manufacturing ceramic circuit boards. For different kinds of ceramic PCBs, there are different production lines and professionals. If you choose the right manufacturer, you will get the best quality ceramic circuit boards.

1. High thermal conductivity

The core metal content of ceramic circuit boards is as high as 96-98%, which makes them have extremely high thermal conductivity. Compared with ordinary FR4 circuit boards, the thermal conductivity of ceramic circuit boards can reach 170-230 W/mK, while the thermal conductivity of FR4 boards is usually only 0.3-0.4 W/mK. Higher thermal conductivity allows for more efficient heat dissipation, avoiding the problem of damage to electronic components due to overheating. This is particularly important in high-power applications, such as LEDs and power semiconductors.

2. Low thermal expansion coefficient

Ceramic materials have a very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), usually between 6-8 ppm/°C. In contrast, FR4 material has around 14-16 ppm/°C CTE. This means that ceramic materials hardly expand or contract when temperature changes. The low thermal expansion coefficient improves the reliability of the circuit board, reduces the influence of the thermal cycle on the circuit board structure and the connection of electronic components. Especially suitable for use in the environment with frequent temperature changes.

3. High surface hardness

The surface hardness of ceramic materials is up to 9 Mohs, which is harder than aluminum oxide and silicon. It means ceramic PCB has more wear-resistant, scratch resistant, and not easy to damage. It enables to run stably for a long time even in harsh physical environments, extending the service life of the board. That is why ceramic PCB is always recommended to use in military.

4. High compressive strength

The compressive strength of the ceramic circuit board can reach 450-500 MPa, which can withstand large mechanical pressure without deformation or rupture. This characteristic makes them excellent in applications that require them to withstand mechanical stress, such as industrial automation and aerospace.

5. High dielectric strength

Ceramic PCB has very high dielectric strength, usually between 15-25 kV/mm. And it can withstand higher electric fields without electrical breakdown.

6. Ability to withstand higher temperatures

Ceramic circuit boards can operate at temperatures up to 1000°C without degradation or damage. While FR4 circuit boards typically operate at an upper limit of 140-170°C. Ceramic circuit boards are suitable for electronic devices in high temperature environments, such as electric vehicles and high-power lasers.

7. High breakdown voltage

The high breakdown voltage of the ceramic circuit board can reach 20-35 kV, ensuring reliable operation under high voltage conditions. It is well suitable for use in high-voltage power supplies and power electronic equipment, providing higher safety.

8. Does not absorb water

The water absorption of ceramic materials is usually less than 0.1%, while the water absorption of FR4 materials is 0.1-0.2%. The non-water absorbing feature prevents performance degradation and damage caused by water absorption in a humid environment. It is ideal for Marine, medical, and other applications that require moisture resistance.

9. Low loss at high frequency

In high-frequency applications, the dielectric loss Angle tangent (Df) of ceramic circuit boards is usually between 0.0001-0.001, while the loss Angle tangent of FR4 materials is 0.02-0.03. Low loss ensures signal integrity and transmission efficiency, which is suitable for communication equipment and high-frequency electronic equipment.

10. Resistance to cosmic rays

Ceramic materials can resist the impact of cosmic rays, will not be degraded or damaged by rays. They are suitable for satellite electronic equipment, ensuring the stability and reliability of the circuit board in a high radiation environment.

11. No organic ingredients

Ceramic circuit boards do not contain organic components, so they have high chemical stability, are not susceptible to chemical corrosion and decomposition. They are good choice to use in harsh chemical environments.

12. High-density assembly

Ceramic circuit boards support high-density assembly with line/pitch resolution of 20 microns. This allows them to be adapted to more complex and refined circuit designs, suitable for microelectronics and high-precision applications.

Best Technology provides professional one-stop ceramic PCB design and manufacturing service all around the world. We welcome all the friends and partners from domestic and abroad to visit our ceramic circuit board workshop.

Thick Film Ceramic PCB

Thick film technology is a process by using screen printing conductor paste and directly deposit slurry (conductor) on the ceramic substrate. Then sintering it under high temperature to form conductive circuit traces and electrodes, which is suitable for most ceramic substrates.

After the material is sintered at high temperature, a strong adhesion film will be formed on the ceramic circuit board, repeat this step for many times, a multi-layer circuit is generated.

You can print resistor or capacitor on the surface to get a interconnected structure. At Best Technology, we can make all the resistors with the same value, or different value for different resistor on the same board.

What are the different types of ceramic pcbs?

Thick film ceramic PCB has advantages on the simple manufacturing process, but it has some drawbacks that can’t be ignored:

Limited by the conductive paste and screen size
Line width less than 100um is difficult to achieved
Three-dimensional patterns are not available
Not suitable for fine-trace project

DBC / DCB Ceramic PCB

Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) or Direct Copper Bonded (DCB) ceramic PCBs are known for their excellent thermal conductivity. They are made by bonding a layer of copper directly onto a ceramic substrate, typically aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride. Due to the DBC technology is directly bond copper on the ceramic substrate, it can achieve thicker copper thickness to 300um. So, it is very suitable for high power applications.

The basic chemistry principle is to introduce an appropriate amount of oxygen between copper and ceramics before or during the application process. Copper and oxygen will form Cu-O eutectic liquid under 1065℃~1083℃. This is an important element in the manufacturing. DBC ceramic circuit board uses this eutectic solution to chemically react with the ceramic substrate to form CuAlO2 or CuAl2O4, achieving the combination between substrate and copper foil.

However, it is easy to generate micro-porosity between Al2O3 and Copper during the copper bonded process, and it doesn’t have a good solution by far. That is why the yield of DBC ceramic PCB is not good than DPC.

DPC (Direct Plated Copper Ceramic PCB)

DPC ceramic PCB utilizes direct copper plating technology, deposit copper foil on the alumina oxide (Al2O3) substrate. It is the most commonly used ceramic PCB in recent years. The circuit generated process is: pre-treatment – sputtering – exposure – develop – etch – strip – electroplating.

AMB (Active Metal Brazed Ceramic PCB)

AMB ceramic copper clad plate adopts the active brazing process, and the copper layer bonding force is higher than that of DPC, which is around 18n/mm – 21n/mm. AMB ceramic copper clad plate usually has a high binding force, usually makes thicker copper, between 100um and 800um. The AMB ceramic PCB generally rarely design traces or holes, even if there is a trace is very simple, the spacing is relatively wide.

HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic PCB)

HTCC is a relatively early development technology, but due to the high sintering temperature (1300~1600℃), the choice of electrode materials is limited. Meanwhile, its cost is more expensive, these promotes the development of HTCC is relatively slow.

LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic PCB)

Although LTCC reduces the co-firing temperature to about 850 ° C, the disadvantage is that the dimensional accuracy and product strength are not easy to control.

Thin Film Ceramic Circuit Board

The thin film ceramic PCB is to deposit a metal layer directly on the surface of substrate by sputtering process. Through lithography, development, etching and other processes, the metal layer can also be graphed into a circuit pattern. Due to the low deposition speed of sputtering coating (generally less than 1μm/h), thin film substrate surface metal layer thickness is small and can prepare high pattern accuracy (line width/line space less than 10μm).

Common Ceramic Substrates

Best Technology is a leading ceramic PCB manufacturer in Asia, our core members has over 20 years manufacturing experience in ceramic PCB fabricating. “High mixed, low volume, high quality, fast delivery” is our advantages and we always try our best to do that, make ourselves better and better. If you are interested in it, feel free to contact us, we are always online.

What is Ceramic PCB?

A ceramic PCB is a type of PCB made from ceramic materials, such as alumina (Al2O3), ALN (aluminum nitride), or Beryllium Oxide (BeO). These materials are prepared by using thermal conductive ceramic powder and organic adhesive under the condition of below 250℃. Ceramic powders are not easy to made, especially for aluminum nitride powder, this is one of reasons that why ALN ceramic PCB is more expensive.

There are some different methods to make ceramic PCBs, commonly in the market are thick film, DBC, DPC and thin film technology. Different types of ceramic circuit boards have its unique characteristics. May you heard about HTCC, LTCC and AMB, they are also the ways to make ceramic PCBs, but there just a few manufacturers can make. Here is a HTCC ceramic PCB that we made.

Why Ceramic PCBs are popular used?

Different from the traditional FR-4 PCB (wave fiber), ceramic PCBs have good high-frequency properties, electrical properties that organic materials can’t achieved. It is a new generation of large-scale integrated circuits and power electronics module ideal packaging materials. The main advantages of ceramic circuit board including:

Higher thermal conductivity
More matched thermal expansion coefficient (CTE)
Lower resistance
Good weldability and can be used in high temperature
Good insulation
Lower high-frequency loss
High density assembly available
No organic ingredients, resistance to cosmic rays, high reliability in aerospace
No oxide layer in copper layer, so it can be used for a long time in a reducing atmosphere

Who is the Best Ceramic PCB Manufacturer?

There are so many PCB manufacturers in the domestic and aboard, but reliable ceramic PCB vendors with good quality and reasonable price are very few. If you are looking for an experienced one, then keep the change. We’re the best option! Best Technology offers ceramic PCBs for our customers more than 100k every year, and we are high mixed from thick film ceramic PCB, DPC ceramic PCB, DBC/DCB ceramic PCB to AMB. Your PCBs need to use in automotives? Don’t worry, we gained IATF16949 and ISO13485 certifications, and all the manufacturing processes are strictly followed by ISO9001 quality control system. We welcome all the questions and inquiries from everyone.

Here is our ceramic PCB manufacturing capability for your reference.

Ceramic PCB Manufacturing Capability
No.	Item		General Parameter	Special Process
1	Substrate	High insulation, chemical corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance	Al2O3	Glass, quartz, sapphire, 99% , 92% Al2O3 (black)
2		Excellent thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion coefficient, and high-temperature resistance	AIN
3		Insulation performance and high-temperature stability	ZTA
4		High strength, high hardness, high thermal conductivity, and low dielectric loss	Si3N4
5		Conductor	Tungsten（LTCC/HTCC)、Au、Au&Pd、Au&Pb、Ag、Ag&Pd、Ag&Pb
6	Layer Count	DPC	Single – Double sided
7		DBC	Single – Double sided
8		AMB	Single – Double sided
9		Thick film	Single – Double sided, 4L
10		LTCC	Single – Double sided, 4L, 6L	6L – 14L
11		HTCC	Single – Double sided, 4L, 6L
12	Copper Thickness	Inner layer	/
13	Copper Thickness	Outer layer	Hoz-3oz (DPC), 3oz-12oz(DBC/AMB)
14	Dimension	Max. dimension	130*180	Larger dimension available (pass evaluation)
15		Min. dimension	2*2	Shipped in panel
16		Substrate thickness	Al2O3/AIN 0.38. 0.635, 1.0mm, Si3N4 0.25、0.32mm	>1.5
17	Surface Treatment (thickness)	OSP	0.2-0.5um	/
18		ENIG	1-3u”（Au）120-320u”（Ni）	/
19		Immersion silver	6-12u”	/
20		Immersion tin	≥1um	/
21		ENEPIG	Au 2u”, Pd 1U”, Ni 100u”	/
22		Hard gold	5-30u”（Au）、120-200u”（Ni）	/
23	Drill	Min. PTH	0.05MM	/
24		Min. NPTH	0.05MM	/
25		Max. aspect ratio (PTH PCB)	5:1	/
26		NTPH tolerance	±0.05	/
27		PTH tolerance	±0.05	/
28	Line width/ Line spacing	Inner layer	Line width≥0.1mm; Line space≥0.1mm	0.076/0.076mm
29		Outer layer	1OZ; Line width≥0.12mm; Line space≥0.12mm	0.1/0.1mm
30			2OZ；Line width≥0.2mm; Line space≥0.2mm	0.15/0.15mm
31			3OZ；Line width≥0.25mm; Line space≥0.25mm	0.2/0.2mm
32			4OZ；Line width≥0.35mm; Line space≥0.35mm	0.3/0.3mm
33			5OZ；Line width≥0.45mm; Line space≥0.45mm	0.4/0.4mm
34			6OZ；Line width≥0.55mm; Line space≥0.55mm	0.5/0.5mm
35			Thick film; Line width≥0.1mm; Line space≥0.1mm	0.076/0.076mm
36		Line width tolerance	±20%	/
37	Solder Mask (SM) /Silkscreen	Conductor	Glass glaze, medium, solder mask ink	/
38		SM color	White, black, green	Mixed color
39		Silkscreen color	White, black	Mixed color
40		Silkscreen height, width	Line width≥0.13mm; Height≥0.8mm	/
41		SM thickness	≥20um	/

What affects the cost of a PCB?

Drives the cost of PCBs are numerous, we can see from the PCB itself, for example, circuit board substrate materials, the external factors such as the manufacturing difficulties, the whole order quantities and some other special requirements that from designers.

Here, we listing some basic parameter factors which drives the whole cost of a PCB.

PCB substrate material

The substrate of PCB board refers to the material used in the non-conductor part of the circuit board, mainly FR4, glass fiber, epoxy resin, polyimide, copper, aluminum and so on. In the PCB manufacturing, glass fiber is widely used in the manufacture of double-sided circuit board and multi-layer board, while epoxy resin and polyimide are used in the manufacture of high-density multi-layer board. Among them, copper substrate is most expensive material. No matter what kind of materials, all of them shall be calculated according to the real-time international price.

PCB size (panel and single pcs)

PCB size will determine the price of PCBs, this is for sure. Generally speaking, with a same number of PCB layers, the smaller the PCB size, the cheaper the cost. Because during calculating cost, vendors will consider the utilization rate of raw materials. Make sure the highest utilization, the cost for both purchaser and vender will be best. The raw material of PCBs is commonly 1200mm*1200mm, or 1220mm for special specifications, when the utilization achieves 90% or above, this is the best.

So, how to improve the utilization of raw materials? Normally, manufacturers will optimize the working files (WF) from single size to panel size, and then material will be cut according to the panel files. But if the panel size is not suitable, then there will be a lot of waste edges of raw material in the cutting process, and generally this will be added into your PCB price. So that the unit PCB price will be more expensive. In another word, if you PCB size is well-suited, then it is good for PCB manufacturer and yourself. And at this time, the utilization will be the highest and your PCB cost is the cheapest as well.

Line width/spacing

To a certain extent, as long as you are following the PCB design rules, the PCB price will not too high. However, if your design is complex and the line width is extreme thin, then the price will increase since it is difficult to control during manufacturing.

PCB layers

According to the IPC standard, PCBs can be classified to single-layer PCB, double sided PCB and multilayer PCB. For layer count over than 2 layers, we called it as Multilayer PCBs, such as 4 layers PCB, 6 layers PCB. For FR4 PCB, we can make up to 32layers.

Due to the manufacturing process and some unpredictable assembling cycles, the more the layers, the more expensive it is. (The price of single side PCB is the similar to double sided PCBs.)

Solder mask ink color

In the past, it is no doubt that you will spend more if you want every color expect green. But now things are changeable. Most colors are available at no or very little extra cost, which usually only occurs for unique requests such as matte tones.

PCB copper foil thickness

The weight of copper foil depends on the successful utilization of the material. Thicker copper is more expensive and comes with additional manufacturing difficulties and expenses. You may also have to fill the holes with copper foil to connect layers. In addition, heavier copper means you need to spend more cost in shipping. Let’s take a simple example, for aluminum core PCB and copper core PCB, in the same volume and quantities, copper core PCB stands out for expensive shipping cost since it has thicker copper and heavier weight.

PCB surface treatment

Surface treatment is a method that using for protecting the surface from corrosion and improve the solderability. Usually, in consideration of environmental friendliness, vendors can use a couple of gold or silver to achieve further safety for use in some applications.

The commonly used surface treatment methods include OSP, IMMERSION SILVER, ENIG, ENEPIG and HASL (LF). Among them, the price is ENEPIG>ENIG>IMMERSION SILVER>OSP>HASL. You can calculate the PCB board price according to the surface treatment method and gold thickness.

Quantity and lead time

When developing a new project, almost of companies would like to make prototypes first and ask for a sample quotation. However, some PCB manufacturers will set the minimum order quantity, the smaller the quantity, the higher cost the PCB board. Please make sure to check the price for different amount before placing an official order.

Meanwhile, the delivery time request also will affect the whole price in a certain. And certainly, the price of quick turn order and expedited service will higher than normal order.

Other special requirements (impedance, IPC standard)

To ensure the stable transmission of circuit board signals and improve the quality of signal transmission, designers and engineers will ask for impedance control for the traces. This can be seen as special requirements, so it will add a few extra prices. And the required IPC Criteria is a factor as well. Normally, if customer does not have other request, we will default use IPC class II. III level will more expensive.

Above all are the mainly factors that affect the price composition for a printed circuit board. When evaluating your PCB cost, making them in your consideration is best.

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What Ceramic Metallization Technology Is?

Ceramic metallization refers to the process of firmly attaching a thin layer of metal film to the surface of a ceramic material to achieve a bond between the ceramic and metal. There are various methods for ceramic metallization, commonly including molybdenum-manganese (Mo-Mn) method, directly copper plate (DPC), directly bonded copper (DBC), active metal brazed (AMB) method and more.

Which Ceramics Can Be Used Metallization Technology?

At present, there are four common ceramic substrates that always used for metallization, they are BeO, Al2O3, AlN and Si3O4. But different ceramic has different characteristics, so its metallization method also is different.

BeO Ceramic

The most common method for metallizing BeO ceramics is the Mo-Mn method. This involves applying a paste-like mixture of pure metal powders (Mo, Mn) and metal oxides to the ceramic surface, followed by high-temperature heating in a furnace to form a metal layer.

Al2O3 Ceramic

The primary metallization methods for Al2O3 ceramics are DBC and DPC. This method involves placing a treated copper foil on the surface of Al2O3 ceramics, introducing an inert gas with a certain oxygen content, and then heating. During heating, the copper surface undergoes oxidation, and when the temperature reaches the eutectic liquid phase region, a eutectic liquid phase is formed, wetting both Al2O3 ceramics and copper, achieving a tight bond. In a chemical sense, the adhesion used by DBC is stronger than DPC since it has thicker copper.

AlN Ceramic

Common methods for AlN ceramics include DBC and Active Metal Brazing (AMB). DBC is similar to the method used for Al2O3 ceramics but requires pre-oxidation treatment of AlN ceramics since AlN is a non-oxide ceramic. AMB involves connecting AlN ceramics and copper foils using active metal brazing materials, often Ag-Cu-Ti alloys.

Si3N4 Ceramic

Si3N4 ceramics cannot be directly metallized using the direct copper plating method because they do not generate an oxide layer on the surface like AlN ceramics. Si3N4 ceramics are typically connected to metals using the AMB method, where chemical reactions between Si3N4 and active metals (Ti, Cr, V) form continuous nitride layers at the interface.

What is the Metallization Temperature?

During the metallization process, the sinter temperature should be controlled strictly. Normally, it can be divided into four ranges:

Ultra-High Temperature (Above 1600°C):

This temperature range is reserved for specific applications where extreme heat resistance is required.

High Temperature (1450°C to 1600°C):

High temperatures are essential to ensure that the glass phase spreads and migrates effectively, enabling a strong bond. However, excessively high temperatures can lead to reduced metallization strength.

Mid-Temperature (1300°C to 1450°C):

This range is chosen to balance the need for effective metallization with the preservation of material properties.

Low Temperature (Below 1300°C):

Lower temperatures are used when the primary concern is avoiding thermal stress on the materials involved.

Proper high sintering temperature is necessary, otherwise, the glass phase will not spread and migrate. But if the temperature is too high, the metallization strength will be poor. So, choose a suitable temperature is important to make sure the metallization effective.

This is all the information about metallization technology, in our next blog, we will delve into what factors will affect the metallization. If you are interested in metallization or other technologies about ceramic circuit boards, please leave your message and keep your eyes in Best Technology website.

Archive for the ‘DBC substrate’ Category

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1. High thermal conductivity

2. Low thermal expansion coefficient

3. High surface hardness

4. High compressive strength

5. High dielectric strength

6. Ability to withstand higher temperatures

7. High breakdown voltage

8. Does not absorb water

9. Low loss at high frequency

10. Resistance to cosmic rays

11. No organic ingredients

12. High-density assembly

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Thick Film Ceramic PCB

DBC / DCB Ceramic PCB

DPC (Direct Plated Copper Ceramic PCB)

AMB (Active Metal Brazed Ceramic PCB)

HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic PCB)

LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic PCB)

Thin Film Ceramic Circuit Board

Common Ceramic Substrates

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