Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) or Alumina 96% is the most widely used ceramic material for ceramic printed circuit boards and submounts. This is because alumina PCBs have good material properties, including good thermal conductivity, low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion), dielectric strength, strong resistance to chemical hazards, and hermeticity. These favorable properties are in combination with a relatively low cost and more easy handling which explains the wide usage. Furthermore, UV transparency, as well as the bright white color, can also be a benefit in applications where a high reflection rate of visible light is needed without discoloration issues (yellowing)
Applications include, for example, cooling and heating modules, LED boards, medical circuits, sensor modules, antennas, and high-frequency devices.
If you are looking to test this material and only need a few prototypes at a lower cost and faster lead time. Then check out our alumina PCB C-proto solution.
Ordering a Ceramic PCB
1. Quote & Order
Get your quote and order immediately online. No waiting, no hassle.
Anything unclear or still unsure about something? Contact us anytime!
2. Design check
We will check if your design meets our production specifications and make a panel drawing, if applicable. If something needs to be changed, we will let you know.
3. Production
After the design is ready and frozen, it is off to the factory. This is where the magic happens...
4. Final check & shipment
As soon as your order is made, it gets send back to our Belgian location for a final quality check. If everything looks good, we'll ship it out to you.
Design rules for our C-PRODUCTION Alumina PCB solution:
C-Production DESIGN RULES ALUMINA PCB | Copper (Cu) | Silver (Ag) / Silver-Palladium (AgPd) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metric | Imperial | Metric | Imperial | ||
![]() | Max. panel Dimensions (a)*(b) | 125mmx125mm | 5" x 5" | 125mmx125mm | 5" x 5" |
Max. circuit Dimensions (c)*(d) | 115mmx115mm | 4.5" x 4.5" | 115mmx115mm | 4.5" x 4.5" | |
Thickness (e) | 0.38 | 0.5 | 0.63 | 0.76 | 1.0 | 1.5 mm | 10 | 15 | 20 |25 |30 | 39 | 50 mil | 0.25 | 0.38 | 0.5 | 0.63 | 0.8 | 1.0 mm | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 39 mil | |
![]() | Conductor thickness | 18 | 35 | 70 | 105 | 140 | 280um (please enquire for other thicknesses up to 350um) | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8oz (please enquire for other thicknesses up to 10oz) | 15 | 40um | 15 | 40um |
Layers | Single & double-sided | single, double sided, 3 or 4 layers | |||
Surface finish | None, Silver (Ag), OSP, ENIG, ENEPIG (*) | None (Ag, AgPd). Please enquire for ENIG or ENEG (*) | |||
Solder resist | green, white, red, blue, black | Glass encapsulant: white, black or high reflective white | |||
Solder resist minimum opening | 0.2mm | 0.2mm | |||
Solder resist minimum pad overlap | 0.1mm | 0.1mm | |||
Silk screen / legend | black, white | black, white | |||
![]() | Min. line width (a) | 0.10 mm (@ 18 or 35um) | 6 mil (@ 0.5 or 1 oz) | 0.2 mm | 8 mil |
Min. line spacing (b) | 0.10 mm (@ 18 or 35um) | 6 mil (@ 0.5 or 1 oz) | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | |
Line/pad to edge spacing (f) | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | |
Via diameter (c) | 0.15mm-0.3mm | 6 mil-12 mil | 0.15mm-0.3mm | 6 mil-12 mil | |
Min. via spacing (b) | 0.3mm | 12 mil | 0.3mm | 12 mil | |
Via/hole to edge spacing | 3 x via diameter | 0.5mm | 20 mil | ||
Through hole metallisation | Plated through hole (PTH) | #colspan# | Silver (Ag) Filled vias | ||
Min. annular ring diameter (d) | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | |
Min. annular ring spacing (e) | 0.15 mm | 6 mil | 0.15 mm | 6 mil | |
Annular ring to edge spacing (g) | 0.15 mm | 6 mil | 0.15 mm | 6 mil | |
Line to hole/via spacing (h) | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | 0.2 mm | 8 mil | |
![]() | Dimensional tolerance | +/- 0.2mm | +/- 8 mil | +/- 0.2mm | +/- 8 mil |
Thickness tolerance | +/- 10% | +/- 10% | |||
Hole tolerance | +/- 0.1mm | +/- 4 mil | +/- 0.1mm | +/- 4 mil | |
Pad to hole/via tolerance | +/- 0.1mm | +/- 4 mil | +/- 0.1mm | +/- 4 mil | |
Conductor thickness tolerance | +/-15% | +/-20% | |||
Line/Space width tolerance | +/-20% or 25µm @ 35um | +/-20% or 1 mil @ 1oz | +/- 50µm | +/- 2 mil | |
Misalignment (only for double sided) | ≤100µm | ≤ 4 mil | ≤100µm | ≤ 4 mil | |
(*) suitable for gold wire bonding (ENEG - Electroless Ni, Electroless Au & ENEPIG - - Electroless Nickel, Electroless Palladium, immersion Gold) |
Delivery:
- single units
- panel with laser scribing (click for more info)
- Panel without laser scribing
Note: panel X-out: ≤10%
Material properties Alumina 96%:
Property | Items | Unit | Al2O3 96% |
---|---|---|---|
Physical | Color | - | White |
Material - Aluminium Oxide | % | 96% | |
Water absorption | % | 0 | |
Reflectivity | % | 94 | |
Electrical | Dielectric Constant (1MHz) | - | 9-10 |
Dielectric Loss | *10^-4 | 3 | |
Dielectric strength | MV/m or KV/mm | >15 | |
Insulation/Volume resistance | Ω·cm | >10^14 | |
Mechanical | Density after Sintering (Bulk density) | g/cm3 | >3.7 |
flexural Strength (3 point) | Mpa | >400 | |
Surface Roughness | μm | 0.2~0.75 | |
Camber | Lenght% | ≦2 | |
Thermal | Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) | ppm/°C | 6.5-7.5 |
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) RT~500 °C | ppm/°C | 6.5-8.0 | |
Thermal Conductivity (25°C) | W/m‧K | 24 | |
* Reflectivity test reference thickness of 1mm |
If your are not sure what conductor and surface finish you should use, you can always use this handy tool: What stackup to use for your signal layers for ceramic pcb.
When should I consider ordering via C-proto and when via C-production?
Answer: C-proto is perfect for people that only need a few pieces (5 panels or less => Please note; depending on the size, several PCB may fit on one panel). And the design needs to be relatively simple with only limited options regarding thickness, finish, and masking. The advantage of C-proto is that you can have your PCB relatively fast and at a much lower cost as you do not need to pay for tooling. C-proto orders are made on a specifically designed production line for prototypes and low volume.
C-production orders, on the other hand, will be made on a fully-fledged ceramic PCB production line at one of our partners which are designed for higher volume orders. It gives you many more options and tighter specifications but the downsides are price and longer lead time.
Where are the C-Production orders made?
Answer: We have several production partners in China, Taiwan, India, the USA, and Europe. In order to ensure consistent quality, every order standard passes our Belgian location for a final quality check before it is shipped to you.
Are there any import duties/tariffs that I need to pay?
You are responsible for local import formalities and duties on your order. Note that when you are based in the USA and choose copper metallization, your order will likely be made by our partner in China and is thus likely subject to a 25% tariff.
If you would like to avoid this, please switch to silver metallization (never made in China) or order via C-Proto if possible (made in Belgium). If both options do not suit you, contact us. We have other production partners in Taiwan that are also able to supply copper-based ceramic PCB but we need to quote this separately.
Can you ship faster?
Answer: We might. It depends on the production schedule of our partners. Contact us to discuss this.
How are Ceramic PCBs made?
Answer: we made a page about this that explains the different manufacturing technologies. Find it here.
Are ceramic pcb heavier or lighter then other PCB?
The substrate materials in itself, both Alumina 96% as well as Aluminum nitride are heavier then traditional pcb material like FR4 or even aluminum 5052 (metal core pcb). However, usually ceramic pcb are thinner (=< 1mm compared to 1.6mm typical) and require less copper (much heavier). In most cases the weight is therefor comparable or even lower. Below is an overview of the density of the different materials.
- Al2O3 96%: >3.7 g/cm3 (typical thickness 0.25 - 1mm)
- AlN: >3.33 g/cm3 (typical thickness 0.25 - 1mm)
- FR4: 1.850 g/cm3 (typical thickness 0.8 - 1.6mm)
- Aluminium (5052): 2.68 g/cm3 (typical thickness 1.5mm)
- Koper: 8.96 g/cm3
Ceramic-PCB.com is the online order portal from CERcuits, ceramic PCB & substrates. Learn more or contact us in case you have a high volume program or need different/more stringent specifications.