PCB Capabilities
Ceramic PCB Manufacturing
Al₂O₃, AlN and LTCC substrates for high-power and high-temperature applications.
Ceramic PCBs use inorganic ceramic substrates — aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), aluminum nitride (AlN), or low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) — instead of organic laminates like FR-4 or polyimide. Ceramic substrates provide thermal conductivity 50-600x higher than FR-4, temperature stability to 800°C and beyond, hermeticity for moisture-sensitive circuits, and chemical inertness that organic materials cannot match. These properties make ceramic PCBs essential for high-power RF devices, LED thermal management, high-temperature sensors, and hermetic packaging for military and space electronics.
Ceramic substrate types
Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃, 96% or 99.6% purity) is the most common ceramic substrate. Thermal conductivity is approximately 25-28 W/mK for 96% alumina — roughly 80x better than FR-4. Al₂O₃ provides good mechanical strength, stable dielectric properties (Dk ~9.8 at 1 MHz), and moderate cost by ceramic standards. It is the default choice for thick-film hybrid circuits, power module substrates, and LED submounts where the thermal requirements exceed what aluminum-backed boards can deliver.
Aluminum nitride (AlN) provides thermal conductivity of 170-230 W/mK — nearly 10x better than alumina and approaching copper. AlN is specified for high-power GaN devices, laser diode submounts, and any application where the thermal resistance between the die and the heatsink must be minimized. The cost is significantly higher than alumina due to material expense and more demanding processing conditions. Specify AlN when thermal simulation confirms that alumina’s conductivity is insufficient.
LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic) enables multilayer ceramic constructions with embedded passives (resistors, capacitors, inductors) and hermetic cavities. LTCC is fired at approximately 850°C, allowing co-firing with silver or gold conductors. LTCC modules are used in military and aerospace electronics where size, hermeticity and integration density are critical.
Metallization methods
Thick-film metallization screen-prints conductive pastes (silver, gold, palladium-silver) onto the ceramic and fires them at 850°C to form circuit traces. Thick film is cost-effective for moderate circuit density and is the standard metallization for power electronics substrates. Thin-film metallization deposits metal layers by sputtering or evaporation, then patterns them by photolithography and etching. Thin film achieves finer feature resolution (traces and spaces below 25 microns) and tighter impedance control, making it suitable for RF circuits and precision analog circuits on ceramic substrates. DBC (Direct Bonded Copper) bonds heavy copper sheets directly to the ceramic through a high-temperature oxidation process, providing the highest current-carrying capacity for power module substrates.
Applications
Power electronics: IGBT and SiC MOSFET modules use DBC ceramic substrates for high-current switching with direct thermal connection to the heatsink. RF and microwave: GaN power amplifiers use AlN submounts for die attach and impedance matching. LED: high-power LED arrays use alumina substrates when aluminum PCBs cannot provide sufficient thermal conductivity. Sensors: high-temperature sensors (exhaust gas, industrial furnace, downhole drilling) use ceramic substrates that maintain electrical integrity at temperatures where organic boards decompose. Military/space: LTCC modules provide hermetically sealed, radiation-tolerant, highly integrated circuit packaging.
Request a ceramic PCB quote
Specify the ceramic type (alumina, AlN, LTCC), metallization method, layer count, and operating environment. Upload design files or drawings for a quotation.
See also: Ceramic PCB Manufacturing Service →