RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Top 3 Alumina PCB Manufacturers

in the World
Alumina PCBs, also known as ceramic PCBs or aluminum oxide PCBs, are
printed circuit boards made of alumina (aluminum oxide) ceramic material.
They are highly durable boards that can withstand high temperatures, high
voltage, and harsh environments. Alumina PCBs are increasingly being used in
applications such as aerospace, military, automotive electronics, medical
devices, industrial automation and control systems, and more.

Choosing the right alumina PCB manufacturer is crucial to get boards

fabricated as per specifications for your application needs. There are a few
major manufacturers across the globe producing high-quality alumina boards.
This article discusses the top 3 alumina PCB manufacturers based on factors
like experience, technological expertise, reliability, variety of offerings, and
global footprint.

Top 3 Ceramic PCB Manufacturers

1. RayMing PCB

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Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Rayming is a global

leader in PCB manufacturing technology. The company has over 18 years of
experience in designing, developing, and manufacturing alumina PCBs.

Rayming provides exceptionally high purity (99.6%) alumina ceramic PCBs

available in widest range of board thickness from 0.25mm to 3.2mm. It
specializes in producing multi-layer boards with finest circuit patterning and
dense vias.

Rayming alumina boards feature:

 High heat resistance (650°C+)

 Excellent electrical insulation (High voltage resistance)

 Hermetic seal for sensitive components

 High strength and surface hardness

With production bases in China, Vietnam, and Taiwan, Rayming supplies

custom-engineered alumina PCBs for various hi-reliability applications
globally. It also provides one-stop solutions from design support to volume
manufacturing.

Notable Clients — Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, GE,

United Technologies

2. MARUWA

MARUWA, founded in 1947 and headquartered in Japan, manufactures a

range of high purity ceramic components including alumina PCBs. The
company has 70+ years of experience working with ceramics.

MARUWA offers 96% and 99.6% alumina PCBs in wide range of board
thickness from 0.1mm to 1.0mm. Its specialized process capabilities include

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multilayering (max. 8 layers), ultra-fine circuit patterning (line/space

100μm/100μm), dense via holes, cavity formed boards, and more.

Key features of MARUWA alumina boards:

 High insulation resistance (1TΩ)

 Excellent high frequency performance

 Integrated with thin film resistors or capacitors

 RoHS compliance

Top industries served: Defense, aerospace, semiconductor production

equipment, telecommunications infrastructure, medical electronics
equipment.

In addition to Japan headquarters, MARUWA has production bases in China,

Philippines and Vietnam coupled with sales representation globally.

Major Customers — Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Thales Group,

General Electric, Siemens

3. CoorsTek

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CoorsTek, a 110+ year old ceramics manufacturer headquartered in Colorado

USA, produces high-performance technical ceramics including alumina PCBs.
It has tremendous material science and applications engineering capabilities
across various industries.

The company manufactures 96% and 99% alumina PCBs using isostatic press
bonding process. Board thickness options range from 0.25mm to 2.5mm.
Some special capabilities include 3D formed boards, embedded components or
vias, high-density circuits, and direct bond copper (DBC) ceramic PCBs.

Notable features of CoorsTek alumina boards:

 High thermal conductivity (24 W/m-K)

 Tight dimensional tolerances

 Excellent chemical purity

 Relatively lower dielectric loss

Key end markets served include aerospace, space, communications, defense,

medical, semiconductor production equipment, and more.

With 10 manufacturing sites across Asia, Europe and America coupled with
dedicated R&D resources, CoorsTek delivers advanced alumina PCB solutions
to customers globally.

Major Customers — Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin,

Boeing, Honeywell, SpaceX

Comparison Table of the Top 3 Alumina PCB Manufacturers

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Comparison Table of the Top 3 Alumina PCB Manufacturers

As evident from the table above, all three manufacturers have remarkably wide
expertise and experience in manufacturing advanced alumina PCBs suitable
for high performance, mission-critical applications. They also have global
presence with production bases worldwide and strong customer relationships
with leading brands across aerospace, defense, medical, and other hi-reliability
sectors.

In terms of relative strengths:

 Rayming stands out for its unparalleled product range, multi-layering

expertise and one-stop solutions. Customers can get access to their
dedicated design support teams.

 MARUWA is exceptionally strong in ultra-fine patterning, high

insulation resistance boards engineered for specialized applications. They
also offer integrated thin film resistors or capacitors within alumina boards.

 CoorsTek takes a lead in thermal management capabilities including

high thermal conductivity alumina coupled with special via or interface
technologies. They also have tremendous material science expertise.

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Design Considerations for Alumina PCBs

Circuit Design

Alumina PCB provides certain unique advantages but also have some
limitations from circuit design aspects.

Some key considerations include:

 Component Attach — Conductive epoxy bonding must be used

instead of soldering to attach SMD components on to pads. Factor for
slightly lower peel strengths compared to soldered joints.

 Via filling — Integrating conductive vias can be achieved either by

using conductive paste or metallization. Blind vias may make design
complex.

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 No mixed fabrication — Alumina boards cannot allow part ceramic

fabrication mixed with part thru-hole assemblies unlike FR-4 boards. Plan
modularity accordingly.

 Heat sinking — Ensure heat generated from components is dissipated

effectively through board or external cooling solutions. Alumina can
conduct heat if designed properly.

Mechanical Design

Alumina board being brittle material compared to FR-4, it is important to

account for mechanical stresses — thermal, vibrational, shock or impact loads.

Some techniques include:

 Mounting holes for mechanical fastening of PCBs

 Edge plating for handling strength

 Conformal coating for preventing surface chips or cracks

 Potting critical components

 Analyze interface material sizes, properties (via FEA modelling)

 Shock absorbing mounts between PCB and chassis

Testing

Stringent testing protocols must be followed for alumina boards due to their
application criticality:

Pre-production Testing

 Design validation

 Prototype tests for materials, construction methods selected

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 Components qualification testing

Production Testing

 Visual inspection for defects

 Net dimensions checking

 Electrical testing — continuity, insulation resistance

 Test coupons to ensure uniformity

Qualification Testing

 Thermal shock cyclic testing

 Vibration, shock testing

 Hermetically seal testing

 HTOL (High temperature operating life) test

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q1. Are alumina PCBs expensive than FR-4 boards?

Yes, alumina PCBs typically cost 10–30X more than conventional FR-4 PCBs.
This is owing to specialized ceramic material and fabrication processes
involved resulting in lower manufacturing yields coupled with
custom-engineering efforts. Cost also depends on design complexity factors
like number of layers, circuit density, any embedded components, etc.

However higher upfront cost gets justified considering exceptional

performance benefits and longer product operating lifespan that alumina PCBs
provide. Their ability to survive extreme conditions results in more reliable
systems with lower risks of field failures.

Q2. Can components be soldered on alumina PCBs?

No. Alumina boards cannot withstand high temperature exposure during

soldering process which can cause ceramic base material to crack. Hence
conductive epoxy adhesives are used to attach SMD components on to copper
pads on the board. Epoxy bonding withstands alumina’s coefficient of thermal
expansion and provides reliable interconnections.

Q3. What PCB substrate is better — Alumina or Aluminum

Nitride?

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramic shares similar properties as alumina — high

thermal conductivity, temperature resistance, chemical stability and good
dielectric strength.

AlN scores higher on thermal conductivity parameter (170 W/m-K) compared

to alumina (24 W/m-K). So for applications where heat dissipation is
extremely critical, Aluminum Nitride PCBs are better. They are fabricated
using same processes as alumina boards.

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However 99.6% high purity alumina remains the popular choice for most
hi-reliability applications owing to optimal material characteristics. Moreover
it is slightly more cost effective than AlN.

Q4. Can capacitors or resistors be embedded into alumina

PCB?

Yes, embedding passive components is certainly feasible in alumina PCBs

depending on the fabrication technique used. The ceramic multi-layering
process with screen printed metalization enables embedded thin film
capacitors or resistors by printing additional capacitor dielectric or resistor
materials.

The values can be precision laser trimmed to the desired value. This
integration eliminates traditional SMT discrete component thus saving PCB
real estate space along with improved electrical performance.

Q5. How to prevent cracks in alumina PCBs?

Some methods to enhance alumina board reliability by preventing formation of

surface or internal cracks under thermomechanical stresses:

 Design board shape geometries to minimize localized stresses

 Optimize board thickness and layout density distribution

 Use pure alumina ceramic material with uniform microstructure

 Select suitable metalization scheme — fully metallized v/s defined pads

 Analysis of interface regions — substrate, bonds, underfills

 Conformal coating to inhibit crack initiation

 Qualification testing to verify progressive stress limits

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