Hybrid Circuits Technology

A brief outline

Sold in North America by:

Servoflo Corporation
75 Allen Street Lexington, MA 02421
Tel: 781-862-9572
September 2014
www.servoflo.com / info@servoflo.com

All the data included and presented are strictly confidential and belong to Metallux SA – Switzerland.
 What Thick Film is
 It is a Technology based on the deposition of conductive,
dielectric and resistive pastes by Screen Printing on ceramic
substrates (alumina Al2O3, typically 96% grade) or metallic
substrates (stainless steal, aluminium), with the aim to make
electronic circuits.
It is an “adjunctive” Technique, the pastes are added onto a
substrate only where the elements have to be, typical
conductive tracks thickness: 8-15 m

 It differs from Thin Film, that is a deposition of thin layers of

metals and metal oxides by evaporation and/or sputtering on
99% Alumina Al2O3 substrates and consecutive removing of
the unused areas by exposition and development.
It is an “subtractive” Technique (like for PCBs); typical
conductive tracks thickness: 1-3 m
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 Main differences between Thin and Thick Film
Characteristics Thin Film Thick Film
Conductor lines definition (m) 30-40 ≥ 150
Quality of the definition Very good Sufficient
Resistor precision 0,1 % 0,5%
(% on the R value)
Resistor TCR (ppm) Few (5-10) 50-100
Cost (*) 8-10 1
(*) Relative cost to a Thick Film circuit

Thin Film Au tracks Thick Film Au tracks

Other than with a greater thickness, the Thick Film tracks are rougher and more uneven
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 What Hybrid Circuits are
 The capability to integrate electronic components (SMD, bare
chips etc.) on Thick or Thin Film substrates is the historical
definition of ”Hybrid Circuits” (called also “Hybrids”)

Hybrid Circuits
Microelectronics devices
Thin
Thick Film Film SMT on
Circuits Hybrid PCB/Flex
circuits Circuits

Chip on OTHERS
Mixed Board/Flex (**)
Technolgies
circuits (*)

(*) Example: Thick Film circuit + Thin Film circuit in a package

(**) Microelectronics component on other special substrates

Note: MTX, just to simplify things, includes in the Hybrid Circuits family all the
electronics on PCBs (flex circuits included) as well 4
 Hybrid Circuits hystory
 The first Hybrid Circuits were born in the 70s when the Thick Film
technology developed simultaneously with the appearance of the
first SMD components. The objective was to have an electronic
substrate able to integrate components. The technology was (and it is
nowadays) able to make small resistors practically with each desired
value and good tolerance and reliability
 Hybrids were born to supply the Military and Avionic market with Hi-
Rel circuits, to satisfy very harsh requirements
At that time the PCBs were not so reliable with the temperature and
their costs were still expensive.
 Afterwards the Hybrids were introduced also in the Telecom and the
Automotive market, the technology was at the top of maturity in the
90s.
 Time by time the PCB became more reliable, special High Tg materials
were developed, and SMT on PCBs wore away a large segment of
Hybrids market
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 Why to use an Hybrid Circuit
 Hybrid Circuits are still designed for the following reasons:
 High temperature (> 85°C) demand or harsh environmental
conditions demand (temperature + humidity etc.), typical, for
example, with Military microelectronics devices.
 Low and Medium Power (around 2-3 kW) devices. Ceramic is a very
good heat dissipator
 When functional trimming is required: it is possible to trim the
screen printed resistor on a circuits with electronic components to
adjust a Voltage, a Current or a Frequency Output
 It is possible to use resistors and conductors tracks to create a power
generator (low power and medium power from hundred mWatt to
2-3 KWatt) when heating elements are needed
 To make Ceramic Pressure Sensors: they are “hybrid circuits” !

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 Thick Film Hybrid characteristcs (1)
 As we have already seen, it is possible to generate by screen
printing any passive element of an electronic circuit:
Resistors Cross over on
Conductive tracks Dielectric

 It is possible to produce double side circuits connected with

metalized through holes, or multilayer circuits, that are made
by several conductor layers separated by dielectric layers
Conductor Dielectric

Via fill

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 Thick Film Hybrid characteristcs (2)
 It is possible to work several circuits in the same time with a
single layer

 It is possible to screen print resistors that are trimmed by a

Nd:Yag laser to get the project value (called nominal value),
from few milliohms to Gohm, with tolerances till 0,5%
After firing the After the
resistor value laser
is between - trimming the
50% to -10% resistor takes
on respect the the nominal
expected value ohmic value

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 Thick Film Hybrid characteristcs (3)
 It is possible to assemble and
solder SMD components

 It is possible to solder pins

(SIL, DIL, SMT shape etc.)

 It is possible to screen print Gold pads

to connect signal silicon dies to a
substrate by standard wire bonding, or
Silver Palladium pads to connect
medium power dies (i.e: a Mosfet) by
Aluminium large diameter wire bonding
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 Metallux Hybrid Circuits Screem printing capability
 Alumina thickness from 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm, substrate size
up to 4”x6”

 Double side circuits with metalized through holes

 Multilayers Hybrid Circuits with integrated trimmed

resistors

 Several different metalization: Ag, AgPt, AgPd, Au etc.

 Fine line definition to 150 µm – 150 µm width-space

 Trimmed Resistors from mohms to Gohms

 High thickness (> 50 µm) screen printed Silver for power

devices

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 Metallux Hybrid Circuits Assembly capability
 Active / Passive SMT, from 0201 size to BGA and
µBGA

 Chip & Wire: Die attach, Wedge and Ball Bonding,

Encapsulation, on all kind of substrates

 Flip-chip: soldering and epoxy anisotropic attaching

 Hot bar attach soldering process

 Finishing and Encapsulation with conformal

coatings, epoxy and silicone resins

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Main differences between Ceramic Thick Film substrates and PCBs

Characteristics Hybrid Circuits PCB (std. FR4)

Substrate Allumina, Al2O3 96% FR4: Fibre-Glass + epoxy resin

Conductive tracks  Silver, Silver-Palladium, Silver-  Copper

Platinum, Au
Conductive tracks
10-15 µm
Thickness
Process  Screen printing
 Drying(150 °C)
 Firing (850 °C)
It is repeated for each layer
* Double side
17, 35, 70 µm + galvanic
deposition 20-50 µm
Drilling
Hole Plating (PTH & Vias)
Photoresist Deposition
Photoresist Exposition
Photoresist Stripping
Galvanic process, Cu Sn/Pb
Etching
Photoresist Tin/Lead Stripping
Solder mask
Finishing

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Main differences between Ceramic Thick Film substrates and PCBs
Characteristics Hybrid Circuits PCB
They must be mounted with
Resistors Integrated on the substrate
SMT process
Max. circuit dimensions < 100x100 mm > 200x200 mm
Number of conductive layer
4-5 > 12
in a multilayer
Conductors protection Overglaze (firing at 600 °C) Solder mask (epoxy resin)

Humidity absorbing 0 < 0.16 %

Max operating Temperature 120°C (150°C only with
150 °C
(°C) High Tg PCBS)
Coefficient of thermal 12-15 X, Y direction)
6
expansion (ppm/°C) 70 Z direction
Flexural Strength (GPa) 320 500
Coefficient of elasticity
320 25
(E-module) (MPa)

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Applications: HVAC
 Silicon Pressure Sensor for Domestic Boiler

 Why to use a Thick Film circuit:

 Harsh environment (temperature + humidity)
 Stable and rigid substrate: the die pressure sensor is glued on it, the
Alumina CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) is lower compared to a PCB
and matches the Silicon CTE
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Applications: Automotive
 Injection control unit
SMT Wire bonded 4° Conductive
components Chips layer

 Why to use a Thick Film Multilayer circuit:

 Harsh environment (onto the car engine, high temperature, > 100°C)
 High integration, signal and power components are assembled and
connected by wire bonding on the same substrate

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Applications: Medical
 Silicon Insulin Micropump for diabetes

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 Stable and clean substrate, the insulin goes into contact with the ceramic
 The total dimensional tolerances are easily obtained and allow a simplified
assembly process of the components
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Applications: Medical
 Heater on sapphire substrate to defog

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 The 1W heater is screen printed directly on the sapphire
substrate
 It is possible to solder the components and a flex on the screen
printed sapphire
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Applications, Industrial
 Inverter 12-38V to control a three-phase motor

 Why to use a Thick Film circuit:

 High integration, signal and power components are assembled and
connected on the same substrate
 The Alumina is a good heat dissipator, in this case 2,5 kW can be
“easily” dissipated
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Applications: Industrial
 MEMS pressure sensor with Temperature sensor for
vacuum equipment

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 Stable and clean substrate, useful for measuring a vacuum with
precision and reliability
 Sharper shape with ceramic, with low tolerance dimensions easily
got 19
Applications: Industrial
 Electronics for a capacitive pressure sensor

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 Temperature stable and with the same CTE (coefficient of
thermal expansion) of the pressure sensor

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Applications, Industrial
 Signal Amplification Hybrid for X-Ray Security Scanner

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 High value resistors (700 Mohm) with a good precision and
stability with harsh environmental conditions
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Applications, Appliance
 Stainless steal heater (3kWatt) for Dish Washing Machine

 Why to use a Thick Film substrate:

 The screen printed resistors generate the require power for the
heating
 High flexibility with the stainless steel shape that cab be directly
assembled in contact with the fluid to be heated
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Applications, other MTX "Hybrid" circuits
 Chip on Boards (COB) Circuits, generic application

 Die Attach, dies from wafer, waffle pack, gel pack

 Wire bonding: wedge, ball, Al & Au wire diameter from 17 µm
to 75 µm
 Encapsulation: epoxy and silicone glob top 23
Applications, other MTX "Hybrid" circuits
 Chip on Flex Circuits, generic application

 SMT assembly on very thin flex board (50 µm)

 Chip & Wire, special low profile glob top
 Flex on Flex Hot bar attach
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Applications, other MTX "Hybrid" circuits
 Chip on Flex Circuits, industrial and medical applications

 Wire bonded Hall sensor based Encoders

 Wire bonded mems for blood pressure tonometer
 Conductibility sensors for medical application 25