Investigation on physical and electrical behaviour of LTCC dielectric tapes

Application of Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) technology is widely spread. Its presence is well established in component packaging, sensor applications, high frequency applications [1, 2], chemical reactors and bio-medical applications [3]. For successful realization and implementation of LTCC structures, characteristics and features of LTCC tapes as well as their behavior have to be known. Various investigations related to features of LTCC tapes have been already reported [4-6]. This investigation is focused on physical and electrical characterization of new Heraeus CT708 and Heraeus CT802 LTCC dielectric tapes. Surface roughness has been investigated and presented. Investigation was conducted on shrinkage and weight loss of LTCC tapes and their dependence of the substrate thickness. Circularly shaped LTCC specimens with various thicknesses have been manufactured. The relevant dimensions as well as weights of the specimens were measured before and after firing, results and conclusion are given. Report on electrical permittivity and its dependence on frequency is also presented in this paper. The capacitance method was used. Simple plate capacitors with circular electrodes were realized, where LTCC tapes are used as a dielectric material. Modulus of elasticity as well as flexural strength was investigated by a three-point bending test.