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Thin Film Technology
Thin film describes a technology for the manufacture of a high-resolution circuit board based on a ceramic or other substrate. Due to its high degree of integration, thin film substrates form the basis of High Density Packages (HDP).
The structuring process is comparable to a traditional circuit board. The adhesive, resistor and metallization films are deposited onto the substrate surface using sputter techniques. This metallisation technology ensures an optimum adhesion of the films onto the substrate. In the subsequent photolithographic and etching processes, these films are structured according to the layout requirements. If necessary, an electroplating of the conductors is possible. Depending on the film thickness, minimum structure resolutions of 5 - 20 µm can be achieved. With the corresponding material and surface combinations, solderable and bondable surfaces can be produced. This enables the usage of the most varied of components up to a bare die assembly. The resistors produced in the thin film can be trimmed to a fixed value or according to a output signal of a hybrid circuit.
Benefits
The benefits compared to traditional printed circuit boards are the thermal and electrical properties of the substrate material as well as the fine line possibilities. The ceramic base material is very heat-conductive and as one of the chip base materials, is optimally matched to the TCE of silicon. With the above mentioned structure resolutions, considerably higher packaging and function densities can be achieved than on a conventional circuit board.
Applications
Thin film circuits meet the highest of requirements relating to reliability, lifetime and environmental compatibility. They are mainly used in the data communication units of automobile construction, telecommunications, medical and aerospace electronics. Through the reproducible electrical properties of the base substrate and the high and precise structure resolution, this technology is particularly well suited for high-frequency applications.