SCHOTT Electronic Packaging broadens expertise in the area of ceramics

Manufacturing of hermetic housings for sensitive electronics to be expanded in Germany

Landshut (Germany) June 7, 2010 – SCHOTT Electronic Packaging (EP) is seeking to strengthen its position in Europe in order to better serve its customers within Europe as well as in the United States of America. Thus, the manufacturing line of High Temperature Cofired Ceramics (HTCC) has been transferred from Japan to Landshut in Germany. This is also the location of one of the development and manufacturing centers for hermetic feedthroughs and housings based on glass-to-metal technology. In addition, SCHOTT will be expanding its product line in the area of Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics (LTCC). To this end, a long-term agreement on cooperation was reached with VIA electronic.

The electronics industry in Europe and the US is highly specialized, innovative, and thus very successful. In fields like telecommunications, sensors, medical technology and defense, there are a lot of suppliers who have achieved a global leadership position in their niches and are experiencing strong growth. In order to be able to support these companies even more effectively already during the development phase, SCHOTT Electronic Packaging has decided to bundle its competencies.

“We have been developing and manufacturing hermetic seals for sensitive electronic and opto-electronic components since 1941,” says Andreas Becker, Managing Director of SCHOTT Electronic Packaging GmbH in Landshut and head of the “Opto-electronics and Defense” product division at SCHOTT Electronic Packaging. “In addition to glass, multilayer ceramics are being used more and more often. We are the only vendor in Europe that can supply all of the housing technologies directly, from a single source.

 

All types of housing technologies from a single supplier

SCHOTT has more than 10 years of experience in the area of High Temperature Cofired Ceramics (HTCC). Manufacturing of these products has now been transferred from Japan to Landshut in order better serve its customers within Europe as well as the US. In addition, SCHOTT is also expanding its range to include Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics (LTCC). Here, an agreement on long-term cooperation was reached with VIA electronic GmbH, a company based in Hermsdorf, near Jena.

“We are proud of our reputation as an extremely agile and knowledgeable development partner who has a lot of expertise in the area of microsystems technology,” says Franz Bechtold, Managing Director of VIA electronic. “Our relationship with SCHOTT now ensures us access to a global sales network and industrial manufacturing capacities. This will enable us to accompany our customers much more effectively on everything from prototypes to serial production,” he adds.

Protection for complex systems in the smallest of spaces

Hermetic housings are needed in order to provide long-term protection against undesirable influences, like moisture, for electronic and opto-electronic components. Metallic conductor rods are melted into housings with the help of glass (glass-to-metal seals, GTMS) in order to produce these types of gas-tight packages. With multilayer ceramics, the feedthrough is integrated into the package of layers and soldered into metallic parts (ceramic-to-metal seals, CerTMS®). In addition, optical interfaces, for instance lenses and windows, and special materials that allow for the heat to dissipate can also be integrated.

Housings that feature glass-to-metal seals offer permanent hermetic protection and are insensitive to vibrations, corrosive substances and temperature fluctuations. The same is true for both full ceramic and ceramic-to-metal housings. Their strength lies in the significantly higher number of conductors that can be connected together in a complex manner inside the smallest possible spaces. These are indispensable when it comes to miniaturizing electronic and opto-electronic components and putting them to use inside the high-frequency range.

“Greensheets”: quality control of the preliminary products for manufacturing multilayer ceramics. Source: SCHOTT

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High Temperature Cofired Ceramics are known for their high mechanical stability. The multilayer ceramic is sintered at temperatures of between 1600 and 1800° Celsius. Source: SCHOTT

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As a business unit of the international technology group SCHOTT, Electronic Packaging (EP) is a leading manufacturer of housings and other components for the reliable, long-term protection for sensitive electronics. The core technologies are glass-to-metal and ceramic-to-metal sealing, thermal sensing components as well as a variety of cutting edge specialty glass competences. With 1,500 employees at four production locations and several competence centers around the world, local customer support and co-developments for individual packaging solutions are at the heart of the business, serving the world’s leading manufacturers in the automotive, data- and telecommunication, sensors and semiconductors, consumer electronics, dental care, home appliances, laser as well as security and tracking industries. For more information:  www.schott.com/epackaging.

SCHOTT is an international technology group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions. To this end, the company has been developing special materials, components and systems for 125 years. The main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, pharmaceuticals, solar energy, electronics, optics and the automotive industry. The SCHOTT Group is present in close proximity to its customers with production and sales companies in all its major markets. The Group’s approximately 17,300 employees generated worldwide sales of approximately 2.2 billion Euros in the fiscal year 2007/2008. The company’s technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility. SCHOTT AG is an affiliate of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Foundation).