Heraeus Introduces New Thick Print Copper Paste System

HANAU, Germany and WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Heraeus Precious Metals, world leader in industrial precious and specialty metals, announces the introduction of a Thick Print Copper System to their extensive portfolio of products and applications. The thick printing copper conductor paste system has been developed for power electronic applications where excellent reliability, thermal conductivity and robust thermal cycling performance are required.

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Heraeus' Thick Print Copper System can be used to create copper circuits from 20 -350 microns thick on both alumina (Al2O3) and aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates. The system has been optimized for greater than 50 micron fired film thickness with one process cycle. The system is formulated for superior thermo-mechanical performance for demanding power applications with excellent adhesion and stress matching of the copper to the underlying substrate. The products, all applied by printing, dried in air and fired in nitrogen atmosphere, include:

• C7403/C7404 – Optimized for AIN substrates.
• C7720 – Optimized for application on conventional alumina substrates.
• C7440 – Designed for fine line printing (4 mil lines and spaces) on conventional alumina substrates.
• C7463 – Copper plug hole paste designed for alumina and aluminum nitride substrates.

As an attractive alternative to direct bonded copper (DBC) products, Heraeus thick print copper is electroless nickel (Ni), immersion gold (Au) (ENIG) plateable for both soldering and wire-bonding assembly processes. The system has proven superior thermal cycling performance over DBC by passing 1,000 cycles without failure, a significant improvement over typical DBC thermal cycle performance. Heraeus thick print copper uses an additive process that can create multiple copper trace thicknesses on one single substrate, thereby allowing both standard circuit control components and power components to be assembled onto a single design. It also has the ability to handle multiple circuits on one panel and singulate afterwards makes this a cost effective approach to power electronics.

The Heraeus Thick Print Copper System is REACH and RoHS compliant meaning it is free of lead, cadmium, phthalate and nickel. Applications include power electronics, as well as high power LED substrates, thermoelectric devices, and concentrated photovoltaic cells.

About the Circuits & Components Business Unit of Heraeus
Following the tradition to focus on markets and to offer a comprehensive product portfolio, Heraeus combines two business units supplying component materials.

Launched in January 2014, the new Circuits & Components Business Unit emerged from the former Thick Film and Components Businesses. The core activities focus on thick film pastes together with class leading Clevios™ conductive polymer capacitor materials. Using internal synergies enables Heraeus to offer even more customized solutions.

As a market leader in the production of thick film pastes and passive components metallizations, Heraeus Circuits & Components offers a broad range of resistor, dielectric, resinate and conductor pastes, capacitor terminations and inner electrodes, as well as precious metal powders and LTCC systems. The different types of pastes – applicable to various substrate materials like alumina, aluminum and steel - are used e.g. for the manufacturing of electronic circuits, passive components, sensors, fuel senders, fuel cells and transmission controls. Furthermore thick printing copper conductor pastes serve amongst others the power electronic industry.

Clevios™ conductive polymers are essential to achieve low ESR, low leakage current, good reliability and long lifetime in electrolytic capacitors. Because of its high conductivity and outstanding temperature stability, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT), is widely used in anodes in the capacitor industry. Clevios™ materials are used to manufacture traditional polymer type tantalum and aluminum capacitors, as well as new cutting edge High Voltage devices.   Clevios™ products offered are ready-to-use Clevios™ K types and, for in-situ polymerization, Clevios™ M monomer along with Clevios™ C oxidizer.

Our leading edge products and technologies will keep your business at the front.

Heraeus, the precious metals and technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a global, private company with more than 160 years of tradition. Our fields of competence include precious metals, materials and technologies, sensors, biomaterials and medical products, quartz glass, and specialty light sources. In the financial year 2012 Heraeus generated product revenues of €4.2 billion and precious metal trading revenues of €16 billion. With more than 12,200 employees in over 100 subsidiaries worldwide, Heraeus holds a leading position in its global markets.

SOURCE Heraeus