At PICA, we engineer Ceramic Printed Circuit Boards for high-power, high-temperature, and high-reliability applications. Our capabilities cover material selection, thermal performance, electrical properties, and precise manufacturing processes. Below are our capabilities in Technology, Materials, and Interconnect. For full specifications—including Surface Finishes, Thermal Options, and Patterns & Holes—please request the PDF download or contact a PICA engineer.
Technology
- High thermal conductivity substrates: AlN (170–230 W/m·K), Si₃N₄ (70–130 W/m·K), Al₂O₃(24 W/m·K), ZTA (25 W/m·K)
- Direct Copper Bonded (DCB) and Active Metal Brazed (AMB) substrates
- Multilayer ceramic with LTCC & Nitride powders
- High dielectric strength ≥20 kV/mm
- Excellent mechanical stability (up to 700 MPa bending strength)
- Thermal shock resistance: -55 °C to 150 °C cycles
- Laser cutting, etching, plating, brazing, and solder mask options
Materials
- Aluminum Nitride (AlN)
- Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄)
- Alumina (Al₂O₃)
- Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA)
- LTCC & Nitride powders (dielectric constant 4–40, Q factor up to 50,000)
- Copper layers: 0.127–0.4 mm (DCB) / up to 1.2 mm (AMB)
- Surface treatments: Ni, Ni+Au, Ag plating
Patterns & Holes
- Minimum line/space: 0.2-0.5mm (design-rule dependent)
- Copper mismatch ≤ 0.1mm
- Etching factor ≥ 2.0
- Distance-to-edge: ≥0.15-0.5mm depending on thickness
- Out-dimension tolerance: +0.2/-0.05mm
- Ceramic edge chipping control ≤ 1/2 thickness
Width & Space
Distance to the Edge
| Copper Thickness (mm) | Minimum S (mm) | Minimum W (mm) | Tolerance (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ±0.15 |
| 0.25 | 0.6 | 0.6 | ±0.15 |
| 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | ±0.20 |
| 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | ±0.25 |
| 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 | ±0.30 |
| 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ±0.35 |
| 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | ±0.40 |
| Copper Thickness (mm) | Distance A (mm) |
|---|---|
| 0.2 | ≥0.15 |
| 0.25 | ≥0.20 |
| 0.3 | ≥0.20 |
| 0.4 | ≥0.25 |
| 0.5 | ≥0.30 |
| 0.6 | ≥0.35 |
| 0.8 | ≥0.50 |
Surface Finishing
Surface Treatment
- Bare Copper/Antioxidant
- Ni 2-8 μm (selective)
- Ag 0.1-1.0 μm (selective)
- Ni+Au (Au 0.01-0.10 μm selective)
- Customer plating upon request
| Treatment | Thickness |
|---|---|
| Bare Copper | \ |
| Antioxidant | \ |
| Ni | 2-8μm (Selective) |
| Ag | 0.1-1.0μm (Selective) |
| Ni Au | Ni: 2-8μm (Selective) |
| Au:0.01-0.10μm (Selective) |
Applications
- Power electronics (IGBT, SiC modules)
- Automotive (EV inverters, high-reliability systems)
- Industrial and household electrical systems
- Renewable energy (PV, wind, storage)
- RF and high-power LED modules
AIN Substrate
Si ₃N ₄ Substrate
| Item | Unit | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Color | - | gray |
| Thickness | mm | 0.38±0.05 0.635±0.05 1.0±0.05 |
| Size | mm | 138*190(±1%) |
| Item | Unit | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Color | - | gray |
| Thickness | mm | 0.32±0.05 0.25±0.05 |
| Size | mm | 138*190(±1%) |
| Item | Unit | A-170 | A-200 | A-230 | A-150 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | g/cm³ | ≥3.30 | ≥3.30 | ≥3.30 | ≥3.30 |
| Roughness | μm | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 |
| Bending Strength | MPa | ≥450 | ≥400 | ≥350 | ≥550 |
| Warpage | % | ≤0.3 | ≤0.3 | ≤0.3 | ≤0.3 |
| TC | W/(m•K) | 170 | 200 | 230 | 150 |
| Dielectric Strength | kV/mm | ≥20 | ≥20 | ≥20 | ≥20 |
| Electric Resistivity | 25℃, Ω•cm | ≥10¹⁴ | ≥10¹⁴ | ≥10¹⁴ | ≥10¹⁴ |
| CTE | 10⁻⁶/K@ 40~400℃ |
4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Status | / | MP | RD | RD | RD |
| Item | Unit | S-80 | S-130 | S-80L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | g/cm³ | ≥3.10 | ≥3.10 | ≥3.10 |
| Roughness | μm | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 |
| Bending Strength | MPa | ≥700 | ≥600 | ≥625 |
| Warpage | % | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 | ≤0.5 |
| TC | W/(m•K) | 80 | 130 | 70 |
| Dielectric Strength | kV/mm | ≥20 | ≥20 | ≥20 |
| Electric Resistivity | 25℃, Ω•cm | ≥10¹⁴ | ≥10¹⁴ | ≥10¹⁴ |
| CTE | 10⁻⁶/K@ 40~400℃ |
2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Status | / | MP | RD | SP |
DCB & AMB Design Rule
| Item | Unit | DCB | AMB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | - | Al₂O₃ | ZTA | AIN | Si₃N₄ |
| Bending Strength | MPa | ≥350 | ≥600 | ≥450 | ≥700 |
| CTE (20-600℃) | ppm/℃ | 6.8 | 6.2 | 4.6 | 2.6 |
| Ceramic TC (25℃) | W/(m•K) | ≥24 | ≥25 | ≥170 | ≥70 |
| Peeling Strength (25℃) | N/mm | ≥6 (0.3mm Cu) |
≥6 (0.3mm Cu) |
≥10 (0.3mm Cu) |
≥10 (0.3mm Cu) |
| Void | - | <1% | <1% | <0.5% | <0.5% |
| Dielectric Strength (25℃) | kV/mm | >20 | >20 | >20 | >20 |
| Electric Resistivity | Ω | >10¹⁴ | >10¹⁴ | >10¹⁴ | >10¹⁴ |
| -55℃~150℃ Thermal Shock* |
cycles | ≥60 (0.38mm+0.3mm) |
≥100 (0.32mm+0.3mm) |
≥300 (0.635mm+0.3mm) |
≥5000 (0.32mm+0.3mm) |
