Ceramic materials are with outstanding RF-properties (er, tand), high thermal conductivities for heat removal in combination with a very good thermomechanical adaption to typical semiconductors. Especially the chance to embed functional elements like conductor wirings, resistors and capacitors inside the ceramic and at the same time to manufacture in mass-producible multiple panel substrates (ceramic wafers) the multilayer ceramic technology is an interesting alternative.
Figure 1 shows a radio frequency circuit manufactured at IKTS on a 6“x6“ multiple panel (material: 9K7).
The decisive factors for the manufacturing of ceramic compatible RF-structures are the choice of appropriate materials for functional integration and the optimization of the manufacturing technology for the generation of geometrically accurate designs. Special attention must be paid to the accuracy of the printed structures and of the implemented cavities, used for the placement of the monolithic RF-semiconductor chips.
The figures 2 and 3 show examples of further radio frequency circuits manufactured at IKTS.