Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic

Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic is a composite of ceramic, glass and organic solvents. The „green“ tape sinters below 900°C, which enables the use of screen-printed gold and silver conductors with high conductivity. Screen printing, an established, low cost technology is combined with punched and metal filled via holes for a complete multilayer process. The stacked layers form a homogenous substrate through lamination in an isostatic press followed by sintering/co-firing in a process furnace. The final substrate is robust in the harshest environments and temperature extremes. Its coefficient of thermal expansion is very close to integrated circuits on Silicon or GaAs, which is an advantage for multichip modules (MCM-C).
Special packaging functions can easily be integrated into the module by using cavities and windows in the LTCC substrate. Embedded elements like inner capacitors, inductors and resistors increase the high-density circuit capabilities of LTCC. Even the very demanding task of integrating antennas into transceiver modules can be accomplished in this unique technology.