Thickfilm ceramic ready for MCM interposer

Thick film hybrid ceramic substrates are base for high reliable circuits for space, avionics, medical and industrial applications for many years. Beside new interposer substrates for mass production based on polymer, silicon and glass, the thick film on ceramic can be a solution for many needs. But often the disadvantages of the technology (broad lines and spaces, oversized vias) prohibit the application in substrates with a high density. The combination of classical thick film with advanced technologies for fine line structuring can deliver base substrates especially for packaging with high demands on temperature and lifetime. The focus is on the realization of an interposer ceramic substrate, which fulfill the called properties. Together with state of the art assembly technologies the thick film hybrid is still ready to be used for new demanding fields. Available technologies to combine to the final artwork are etched thick film, laser structuring of thick film inks, special solutions for improvement of via-resolution in multilayer hybrids and thinfilm coated surface for soldering pads. This paper will describe these possibilities in connection with own results and influence on chip assembly performance.