Advances in integrated circuit technology drive packaging and interconnect designers to accommodate more input/output connections and larger size die, which dissipate more power and operate at faster clock speeds. The rapid growth of portable communications applications add demands on packaging technology with frequencies above 1 GHz and the need to incorporate more functions in a smaller package with lower cost. All of this must be accomplished in shorter product development cycle times as OEM's drive to get new products to market faster.
To meet these challenges, designers of packaging and interconnect are rediscovering ceramic interconnect technology (thick film and low temperature cofired ceramic materials and processes). These technologies have a long history of meeting the demands for reliability and performance typical of military and aerospace applications. They also satisfy the demands of applications with critical cost performance requirements, such as those for high volume automotive and telecommunications products. Advances in ceramic interconnect technology are combining proven reliability and excellent high frequency properties with new fine patterning technologies and low cost conductor metallurgies to provide designers with new tools to get high performance products to market quickly.