Low temperature co-fired ceramic

Co-fired ceramic devices are monolithic, ceramic microelectronic devices where the entire ceramic support structure and any conductive, resistive, and dielectric materials are fired in a kiln at the same time. Typical devices include capacitors, inductors, resistors, transformers, and hybrid circuits. The technology is also used for a multi-layer packaging for the electronics industry, such as military electronics, MEMS, microprocessor and RF applications.

Co-fired ceramic devices are made by processing a number of layers independently and assembling them into a device as a final step. This differs from semiconductor device fabrication where layers are processed serially; each new layer being fabricated on top of previous layers.

Co-firing can be divided into low temperature (LTCC) and high temperature (HTCC) applications: low temperature means that the sintering temperature is below 1,000 °C (1,830 °F), while high temperature is around 1,600 °C (2,910 °F). Compared to LTCC, HTCC has higher resistance conductive layers.

Co-fired ceramics were first developed in the late '50s and early '60s to make more robust capacitors. The technology was later expanded in the '60s to include multilayer printed circuit board like structures.

LTCC technology is especially beneficial for RF and high-frequency applications. In RF and wireless applications, LTCC technology is also used to produce multilayer hybrid integrated circuits, which can include resistors, inductors, capacitors, and active components in the same package. LTCC hybrids have a smaller initial ("non recurring") cost as compared with ICs, making them an attractive alternative to ASICs for small scale integration devices.

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