Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTSFraunhofer IKTS secures availability of LTCC tapes based on Heraeus formula
In future, tapes made of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) for the Heraeus series Heratape®CT 700 and CT 800 are cast for customer projects at the extended tape casting pilot plant at Fraunhofer IKTS in Hermsdorf, Germany. As a result, these tapes are available again for users in the usual quality. In 2015, the cooperation partner of Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG ceased to produce the Heraeus series of LTCC tapes. Heraeus now focuses on the manufacturing of co-firing pastes required for the LTCC process.
LTCC technology is robust, reliable and diverse
The LTCC technology is predestined for the set-up of multilayered wiring boards for electronics packaging. LTCC-based components exhibit excellent properties regarding their reliability in harsh environments, their applicability at high temperatures as well as in the high-frequency range up to 200 GHz.
So far, main areas of application include the automotive and aerospace industry as well as the telecommunications sector. Current research topics address innovative applications in the areas of sensor systems and microsystems technology.
Components based on LTCC multilayer technology consist of ceramic tapes, which are printed with functional pastes and then stacked, laminated and jointly sintered.
Compatible system in reliable quality at known cost
Functional pastes and LTCC tapes specifically adapted to each other are a prerequisite for reliable set-ups. In 2015, the cooperation partner of Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG discontinued the production of LTCC tapes based on Heraeus formula because existing customers usually used their own tape casting facilities. As LTCC powders and pastes are still part of the product portfolio of Heraeus – market leader in the field of thick-film pastes – a cooperation with Fraunhofer IKTS regarding the production of LTCC tapes has been started in 2016.
“We are very glad to have Fraunhofer IKTS as a competent partner, who secures the availability of LTCC tapes from the Heraeus series CT 700 and CT 800 for our customers. As a result, the proven Heraeus LTCC paste portfolio as well as the required compatible Heratape® LTCC tapes are still available for customer projects”, explain Christina Modes and Stefan Flick from Heraeus Electronics.
In the highly modern tape casting pilot plant at Fraunhofer IKTS in Hermsdorf, Thuringia, a comprehensive competency in developing and processing ceramic slurries and their further processing to customized tapes has been existing for many years.
“Fraunhofer IKTS offers LTCC tapes in reliable formula and quality to users of the Heraeus-Systems at known cost”, says Uwe Partsch, head of the department “Hybrid Microsystems” at Fraunhofer IKTS.
Contact
Heraeus Electronics
Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Stefan Flick
Phone: +49 6181 35 4935
stefan.flick@heraeus.com
Fraunhofer IKTS
Dr. Uwe Partsch
Phone: +49 351 2553-7696
uwe.partsch@ikts.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS develops modern ceramic high-performance materials, customized industrial manufacturing processes and creates prototype components and systems in complete production lines from laboratory scale to pilot plant scale. Furthermore, the institute offers numerous test methods and system, which contribute significantly to the quality assurance of products and plants. Fraunhofer IKTS has long-standing experience in casting and functionalizing ceramic and glass-ceramic tapes of various compositions and thicknesses. In the highly modern facilities at the institute’s site in Hermsdorf, customized ceramic tapes are produced for various applications.