How to Achieve a Line Width of 20um with Thick-Film Technology
As you may know, thick-film technology typically involves a thickness of above 100 micrometers. However, achieving thinner thicknesses can be quite costly due to the need for specialized equipment and materials, such as mesh, paste, and printers. Even small reductions in thickness can significantly increase costs and impact product yield. And usually, fine lines are limited to 70 um, even with the additional cost of trimming.
High-speed wireless applications require compact, low-cost, and high-performance RF front-end architectures. Traditional thick-film fabrication struggles to achieve fine conductor and via features for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications. Thin-film microstrip (TFMS) and finite ground coplanar waveguide (FGCPW) have increased loss at higher mm-wave frequencies. Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is popular for mm-wave circuit integration due to its simple fabrication process and easy integration with other components like MMICs. So, neither traditional thick film nor thin film can be applied to those applications.
Is there an inexpensive way to achieve a line width of 20 micrometers and a thickness of 8 micrometers?
The photo-imageable technology is a thick-film process that uses a paste binder with a photosensitive polymer that can be activated by normal UV exposure, eliminating the need for a yellow room. Furthermore, there is no need to modify the existing firing and drying system. It can also reduce the mesh screen requirement.
High Density Interconnect
15 micron line / 20 micron space with high yield on standard ceramic.
30 micron line / 40 micron space with 50 micron vias for multilayers.
20 micron lines / 30 micron space within LTCC & HTCC structures.
Rectangular cross-sections with sharp edges and smooth surfaces can accommodate a large number of layers, 70 or even more.
Our printing system:
The key point is that we can achieve flat, thick (5-7um), and highly conductive layers without a border collar using our process. This can be done on green LTCC or normal alumina. For Coors with a 96% "as fired" rating, we can achieve a line width of 20um and gap width of 30um. The photo-imageable paste can be printed only in the required areas and is fully compatible with regular thick-film technology, and can be fired in air at the same temperature of 850C.
Contact us for an easy 20um line thick-film line solution!