Advanced Efficiency With Aluminium Nitride Substrate Solutions

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramic substrates are widely used to support copper-conductive layers on printed circuit boards. Their combination of thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and mechanical strength makes them an attractive option.

AlN is ideal for applications requiring long-lasting semiconductor devices, including power electronics converters and inverters, due to its superior electrical properties and its resistance to UV radiation.

High Thermal Conductivity

As demand for higher power semiconductors continues to increase, heat generated by them must be dissipated quickly and efficiently. Aluminium nitride substrates offer the ideal material to fulfill this need due to their superior thermal conductivity and electrical properties – particularly their superior electrical insulation properties.

Standard substrates typically exhibit room temperature thermal conductivities of 170W/mK; however, specific processing techniques allow significantly higher thermal conductivity values to be reached.

Addition of boron nitride to direct nitriding processes can produce hybrid ceramics with thermal conductivities up to three to four times greater than that of alumina while still possessing all of the electrical and mechanical strength of pure aluminium nitride – creating Shapal Hi-M Soft produced by Tokuyama of Japan under their trademark of Sapal which allows companies to more quickly adopt ALN PCBs without lengthy lead times or additional costs associated with pure ALN PCBs.

High Electrical Insulation

Aluminium nitride ceramics boast superior thermal conductivity to that of alumina and provide excellent electrical insulation, making them the ideal material for advanced applications such as power semiconductors and LED lighting. Furthermore, this nontoxic material can withstand high temperature environments without succumbing to mechanical stresses – even under challenging circumstances.

Valley Design offers machinable aluminium nitride ceramic substrates in multiple thicknesses to suit specific application requirements, from general-purpose grade 170W/mK up to ultra-high thermal conductivity grade 200W/mK. They have low expansion coefficient and are compatible with copper or aluminium components.

AIN substrates combine electrical and thermal properties that make them an excellent heat dissipating platform for LEDs, high-power semiconductors, optical communication lasers used in 5G networks and optical communication lasers used to communicate over fiber optic networks. Their high thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, corrosion resistance and chemical stability also make AIN substrates suitable for creating crucibles, Al evaporation dishes or semiconductor electrostatic chucks.

High Mechanical Strength

Aluminum nitride is an ideal material for power semiconductor circuit boards due to its superior thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. Notably, its nontoxic nature and proven ability in harsh environments make aluminum nitride an outstanding alternative to traditional alumina substrate materials.

AlN is an extremely versatile material, and its multifaceted attributes enable its use for advanced applications like resonators and energy harvesting. With low dielectric loss and bulk acoustic wave velocity coupled with moderate electromechanical coupling constant, its properties ensure efficient propagation of signals within electronic components.

Machined AlN in green or biscuit form allows for the creation of complex geometries with precise dimensions, as well as components with complex geometries and precise dimensions. Once formed, this material must undergo sintering to reach full density and optimal mechanical strength before finishing using various machining and grinding methods to reach an ideal surface finish and dimension accuracy to meet stringent quality standards for demanding applications.

Wide Band Gap

Aluminum Nitride’s superior electrical insulation and temperature resistance make it the ideal material for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. Furthermore, its wide band gap between adjacent aluminium Nitride PCBs minimizes current flow resistance allowing adequate clearance between conductor traces while decreasing unintended electrical connections.

Aluminium nitride’s heat dissipation characteristics also make it an ideal material for heat dissipation in high-power LED lighting technology, high performance electronics and radio frequency (RF) components like antennas and resonator circuits.

AlN films’ crystallinity defines their physical and morphological properties. By carefully controlling deposition conditions such as gas flows and temperatures, RF magnetron sputtering films have achieved wide-ranging ion energy distribution functions for improved device applications; (002) orientation films possess dense columnar grain structures essential for high crystallinity and piezoelectric response while (100) orientation gives improved mechanical stability.