KCC Develops High-Strength Aluminum Nitride DCB Ceramic Substrate

Various DCB products manufactured by KCC. [Photo by KCC]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] KCC has developed a ceramic substrate, the 'High-Strength Aluminum Nitride (H-AlN) DCB,' which improves thermal conductivity by more than six times compared to existing products through independent technological research.

The Aluminum Nitride (H-AlN) DCB is an enhanced substrate based on 'Aluminum Nitride (AlN)' instead of 'Alumina (Al2O3),' which was the most widely used material for conventional ceramic substrates. It is a so-called 'H (High Strength)-AlN DCB' that features excellent durability by improving product strength in addition to the high thermal conductivity characteristic of aluminum nitride ceramics.

DCB (Direct Copper Bonding) is a substrate where copper is directly bonded to ceramic without forming any intermediate layer. Since it is based on ceramics with excellent heat dissipation performance, it is mainly used in high-voltage and high-current semiconductor environments where applying metal or plastic substrates is difficult. In particular, it plays a key role in power module semiconductors that control power such as current and voltage, mounted on major electrical and electronic components.

The H-AlN DCB based on aluminum nitride ceramics has more than six times higher thermal conductivity than alumina-based DCB products. The higher the thermal conductivity of the material, the better it dissipates thermal energy. By quickly releasing heat generated in high-power usage environments, semiconductor devices can operate efficiently for a long time. Additionally, with improved strength, it has been reborn as a high-strength product that is even tougher than alumina DCB.

KCC developed the H-AlN DCB after more than four years of effort. In particular, much effort was devoted to finding the optimal mixing ratio during the development process. When additives were added to increase the strength of the material, thermal conductivity decreased, and conversely, focusing on thermal conductivity characteristics weakened product strength. After countless trials and errors, KCC selected the optimal mixing ratio and was able to bring the H-AlN DCB to the market.

KCC is currently supplying products after receiving mass production quality approval from leading global companies. The number of customers requesting evaluation samples is also increasing, and new sample submissions are actively being made. KCC also provides process development optimized for customers' production conditions when customers proceed with new projects applying the H-AlN DCB. The strategy is to increase process yield and efficiency according to various customer production lines to lead customer satisfaction.

A KCC official stated, "After arduous research, failures, and repeated challenges to find the optimal mixing ratio that can improve strength while minimizing thermal conductivity degradation, the effort has borne fruit," adding, "Through this development, we plan to use it as an opportunity to widely promote KCC's material technology on the global stage and accelerate market expansion by developing products that consider various customers' special processes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.