Thick Film Solutions
Florencia Abila
The APECS process lends itself to higher-frequency, higher-power density trends seen throughout today's RF and microwave applications. As frequencies increase, so does the importance of line-width and spacing tolerances along with keeping losses to a minimum. APECS offers both compared to competing technologies.
The APECS process combined with standard thick-film technology yields cost-effective, highly integrated multi-layer circuits. APECS substrates enable component integration (resistors, inductors, and capacitors) rather than applying discrete components using traditional component mounting.
We provide turnkey thick film solutions up to 80 GHz employing a wide range of material choices, design options, processes, and manufacturing techniques. Our range of thick-film applications experience includes:
Thick Film Solutions specializes in the design and manufacturing of thick film substrates and hybrids. Our experienced designers can start with your schematic diagram and components list and design you a manufacturable substrate or we can simply build to your existing print.
Datec has thick film technology and patented materials that enable our engineers to create high-performance, cost-effective heating solutions on a variety of substrates for a wide range of applications.
Learn MoreLearn More About How Our Industry-Leading Heating Technology Can Help YouTalk to Our Engineering Team to Discuss Your Product Requirements document.cookie = 'nitroCachedPage=' + (!window.NITROPACK_STATE ? '0' : '1') + '; path=/; SameSite=Lax';Customer TestimonialsWorking with Datec and their unique ability to print robust heating circuits and apply proprietary coating technologies provided us with a game-changing solution for two of our clients so far. They are a great, collaborative team to work with
Our team of dedicated research scientists and engineers have led the industry for over 20 years creating heating solutions for industries that include food service, medical, commercial, industrial, and consumer goods.
Datec provides thermal solutions to clients in the USA and Canada with thick film technology and patented pastes that enable our engineers to create high-performance, cost-effective heating solutions on a variety of substrates for a wide range of applications.
The Datec team develops application-specific, high-performance heating solutions using a methodical and collaborative approach. It starts with gaining a full understanding of specifications and requirements.
We produce complex multi-layer circuits including heaters, thermistors, and sensors on ceramic substrates that enables innovators to design products for high reliability operating in harsh environments. We are pursuing our AS9100 certification.
Our thick film circuits are printed on Fused Silica and Ferrite, enabling innovators to design their products utilizing unique substrates for optoelectronic or RF needs. Wearable and implantable devices benefit from circuit miniaturization and reliability.
The cost effectiveness and reliability of our products are a perfect solution for the Defense industry. Our thick film solution are highly reliable, enables miniaturization, and highly robust in substrates and circuit designs to creating the perfect package for our soldiers. We are ITAR Registered.
Thick-film circuits are produced primarily by the screen-printingprocess using a stainless steel mesh to produce electronic circuits with fine lines for high density and miniaturization applications. Screen printing was was used by the Greeks and Romans to produce works of art where details are critical.
CMS Circuits is pioneering the printing technique to build multi-layered and highly complex microelectronics utilizing standard and exotic pastes (ink). Our techniques produces highly reliable products that operates in harsh environments.
Thick Film Solutions, based in McKinney, TX, specializes in the design and manufacturing of high-quality thick film substrates and hybrids for various industries including industrial, medical, military, and aerospace. With experienced designers and a commitment to meeting performance expectations, they offer close support from initial design to final product shipment, ensuring customer satisfaction.
From small prototype runs to full production, Thick Film Solutions can handle volumes at competitive prices, providing substrates that meet MIL-PRF-38534 visual criteria and screening. As a reliable source for quality thick film substrates and hybrids, they are dedicated to delivering manufacturable solutions tailored to customer requirements.
Thick-film circuits/modules are widely used in the automotive industry, both in sensors, e.g. mixture of fuel/air, pressure sensors, engine and gearbox controls, sensor for releasing airbags, ignitors to airbags; common is that high reliability is required, often extended temperature range also along massive thermocycling of circuits without failure.[2] Other application areas are space electronics, consumer electronics, and various measurement systems where low cost and/or high reliability is needed.
The simplest form to utilise a thick film technology is a module substrate/board, where wiring is manufactured using thick film process. Additionally resistors and large tolerance capacitors can be manufactured with thick film methods. Thick film wiring can be made compatible with surface-mount technology (SMT), and if needed (due to tolerances and/or size requirements) surface-mountable parts (resistors, capacitors, ICs, etc.) can be assembled on a thick film substrate.
Thick film technology is also one of the alternatives to be used in hybrid integrated circuits and competes and complements typically in electronics miniaturization (parts or elements/area or volume) with SMT based on PCB (printed circuit board)/PWB (printed wiring board) and thin film technology.[4]
Inks for electrodes, terminals, resistors, dielectric layers etc. are commonly prepared by mixing the metal or ceramic powders required with a solvent (ceramic thick film pastes) or polymer pastes [7] to produce a paste for screen-printing. To achieve a homogeneous ink the mixed components of the ink may be passed through a three-roll mill. Alternatively, ready-made inks may be obtained from several companies offering products for the thick-film technologist.
For improving accuracy, increasing integration density and improving line and space accuracy of traditional screen-printing photoimageable thick-film technology has been developed. Use of these materials however changes typically the process flow and needs different manufacturing tools.
After allowing time after printing for settling of the ink, each layer of ink that is deposited is usually dried at a moderately high temperature of 50 to 200 C (122 to 392 F) to evaporate the liquid component of the ink and fix the layer temporarily in position on the substrate so that it can be handled or stored before final processing. For inks based on polymers and some solder pastes that cure at these temperatures, this may be the final step that is required. Some inks also require curing by exposure to UV light.
For many of the metal, ceramic and glass inks used in thick film processes a high temperature (usually greater than 300 C) firing is required to fix the layers in position permanently on the substrate.
After firing the resistors can be trimmed using a precision abrasive cutting method first developed by S.S. White.[9] The method involves a fine abrasive media, usually 0.027 mm aluminum oxide. The abrasive cutting is fed through a carbide nozzle tip that can be of different sizes. The nozzle is advanced through the fired resistor while the resistor element is monitored with probe contacts and when final value is reached the abrasive blast is shut off and the nozzle retracts to the zero start position. The abrasive technique can achieve very high tolerances with no heat and no cracking of the glass frit used in the ink formulation.
After firing, the substrate resistors are trimmed to the correct value. This process is named laser trimming. Many chip resistors are made using thick-film technology. Large substrates are printed with resistors fired, divided into small chips and these are then terminated, so they can be soldered on the PCB board. With laser trimming two modes are used; either passive trimming, where each resistor is trimmed to a specific value and tolerance, or active trimming, where the feedback is used to adjust to a specific voltage, frequency or response by laser trimming the resistors on the circuit while powered up.
The development of the SMT process actually evolves from the thick film process. Also mounting of naked dies (the actual silicon chip without encapsulation) and wire bonding is a standard process, this provides the basis for miniaturization of the circuits as all the extra encapsulation is not necessary.
This step is often necessary because many components are produced on one substrate at the same time. Thus, some means of separating the components from each other is required. This step may be achieved by wafer dicing.
There are numerous steps in thick film manufacturing which need careful control, like roughness of the substrate, curing temperatures and times of pastes, selected stencil thickness vs. paste type, etc.,[10][11] Therefore the number of pastes used and process steps define the complexity of the process and cost of the final product.
Same or similar electronic design automation tools which are used for designing printed circuit boards can be used for designing thick film circuits. However, the compatibility of tooling formats with stencil manufacturing/manufacturer needs attention as well as the availability of the geometrical, electrical and thermal design rules for simulation and layout design from the final manufacturer.
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