Ceramic substrate: a powerful tool for semiconductor device manufacturing

Ceramic substrate is a thin base material, usually made of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, or aluminum oxide aluminum nitride composite materials. Its flat surface is used to connect and support microelectronic components. Generally, the thickness of ceramic substrates ranges from tens to hundreds of microns, and the surface is precision processed to adapt to different needs.

The earliest concept of ceramic substrates can be traced back to the 1960s, when people began to study and try to improve the reliability and performance of electronic components. Initially, metal materials were widely used in substrate manufacturing, but as the density of electronic components increases, the thermal conductivity of metal substrates gradually fails to meet demand. Therefore, researchers turned to ceramic materials and gradually developed ceramic substrates.

Ceramic substrates have the following main characteristics:

1. Insulation performance: Ceramic substrate has excellent insulation performance, which can effectively prevent the flow of current and avoid interference and loss between electronic components. This characteristic makes ceramic substrates widely used in high-density electronic devices, such as integrated circuits and semiconductor devices.

2. High thermal conductivity: Ceramic substrates have high thermal conductivity and can effectively transmit and dissipate heat, helping to maintain a stable operating temperature of electronic components. This is critical to the reliability and performance of electronic devices.

3. High temperature resistance: Ceramic substrates usually have good thermal stability and mechanical strength and can withstand high temperature environments. As a result, they excel in high-temperature applications such as aerospace, automotive electronics, and energy.

4. Dimensional stability: Ceramic substrates have small dimensional changes at different temperatures and have good dimensional stability. This feature makes them suitable for applications requiring a precise fit and reliable connection.

The manufacturing process of ceramic substrates usually includes the following steps:

1. Material selection and preparation: Based on application requirements, select appropriate ceramic materials and powder process them to obtain the required physical and chemical properties.

2. Shaping: Mix the treated ceramic powder with organic additives, and use molding technology (such as injection molding, pressing or extrusion) to shape the mixture into the desired substrate shape.

3. Sintering: The formed ceramic substrate needs to undergo a sintering process to improve the density and mechanical strength of the material. At high temperatures, ceramic particles bond with each other and form a strong structure.

4. Surface treatment: The sintered substrate may require surface treatment to obtain a flat, smooth and suitable surface for connecting electronic components. This can be achieved through machining, chemical treatment or coating techniques.

5. Wire connections: Electronic components on ceramic substrates often need to be connected to other components, for which wire or soldering techniques can be used. These connections can be made by printing, metallization or soldering.

Ceramic substrates are widely used in various fields, including but not limited to the following fields:

1. Electronics industry: Substrates used to manufacture microelectronic components such as semiconductor devices, integrated circuits and sensors.

2. Aerospace: In the aerospace field, it is used to manufacture high-temperature, high-strength components such as rockets, spacecrafts, and satellites.

3. Medical equipment: used to manufacture medical equipment and instruments, such as ultrasonic probes and medical sensors.

4. Energy field: used to manufacture high-temperature, wear-resistant components, such as combustion devices and furnace coatings in thermal power plants.

5. Automotive industry: Ceramic substrates are used to manufacture high-temperature components in automobile engines and exhaust systems, as well as battery components for electric vehicles.

6. Communications industry: used to manufacture high-temperature and corrosion-resistant components in communications equipment and optical fiber communications systems.

7. Military field: used to manufacture high-strength and high-temperature components in military equipment and weapon systems, such as rockets and fighter jets.

Overall, ceramic substrates play a key role in modern electronics, and their excellent performance and wide range of applications make them an important part of many high-performance electronic devices. With the continuous development of science and technology and the growing demand, ceramic substrates will continue to play an important role and show a more extensive and far-reaching impact in the future electronic field.