TDK Technologies & Products Press Conference 2016
CeraPad™
Ultra-thin substrate with integrated ESD
Dr. Oliver Dernovsek
Head of Multilayer
Piezo and Protection Devices Business Group
The need for ESD protection in smartphones and automotive electronics is being driven
especially by the demand for increased safety and reliability and the further miniaturization of
devices. Advanced LED systems in automobile headlights and compact camera flashes, for
example, need improved protection against ESD events, as do the extremely sensitive ICs in
automotive ECUs, smartphones and tablets.
In order to satisfy the demand for maximum miniaturization and ESD protection performance,
TDK has developed CeraPad™, an ultra-thin substrate that features integrated ESD
protection. CeraPad ensures the highest degree of integration of ESD protection in such
sensitive applications. This new technology is therefore especially well-suited for LED
applications where the number and density of LEDs per unit continues to grow.
CeraPad enables customized chip-scale packages
CeraPad substrate is based on innovative ZnO ceramics sintered at low temperatures and
high-precision multilayer technology. Because CeraPad is designed as a functional ceramic
wafer with ESD protection integrated in its multilayer structure, it represents an ideal LED
substrate and enables customized chip-scale packages (CSP) for standard LED elements
from CSP1515 down to CSP0707. A further advantage of CeraPad is its low coefficient of
thermal expansion (6 ppm/mK), which is nearly identical to that of LEDs. As a result, there is
virtually no mechanical stress between substrate and LED when temperature changes.
Far better performance than Zener diodes
CeraPad opens up new possibilities for LED designs by eliminating the need for discrete
ESD components that take up space and limit LED mounting density. CeraPad's ESD
strength of up to 25 kV is more than three times higher than the standard 8 kV of state-ofthe-art Zener diodes. Moreover, the ceramic substrate features a high thermal conductivity of
22 W/mK. Its performance for this parameter is thus more than three times better than that of
conventional carriers, and with a thickness of just 300 to 400 µm it is significantly slimmer.
Depending on customer requirements, the CeraPad contact pads can be designed for both
standard SAC (Sn/Ag/Cu, 260 °C) reflow processes and eutectic bonding (AuSn, 320 °C).
TDK Corporation
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LED matrix arrays and modules with several hundreds of LEDs are becoming a reality
Similar to printed circuit boards, CeraPad's multilayer technology can be leveraged to design
a kind of integrated circuit by interconnecting the internal redistribution layers with vias. As a
rule, today's matrix LEDs consist of several single and dual LEDs connected in series. The
new CeraPad module now enables for the first time a new kind of LED matrix array with up to
several hundreds of LED light points that can be individually controlled. With this technology
application designers will be able to create innovative high resolution and safety-relevant
light effects, for example in multiple LED flashes in tiny space spaces in smartphones or in
adaptive headlights for cars.
CeraPad represents an extension of TDK's CeraDiode® portfolio of high-performance
discrete ceramic ESD protection components with innovative wafer technology and module
solutions. CeraPad enables TDK to create attractive customer-specific packaging solutions
that address the future challenges of rising IC sensitivity and give customers attractive
opportunities to focus on light design and increase the light efficiency of LEDs.
----You can download this text, the related presentation charts, and associated images from
www.epcos.com/tpc16.
For further information on the products contact Sales at www.epcos.com/inquiry.
Please forward reader inquiries to [email protected].
----Contacts for regional media
Region
Contact
ASEAN
Mr. K. UNTERWEGER
Greater
China
Ms. S. SUEN
Europe
Mr. C. JEHLE
India
Mr. G. DALVI
Japan
Mr. A. TESHIMA
North
America
South
America
Ms. D. MARTIN
Mr. C. DALL’AGNOL
TDK Corporation
EPCOS Components
PTE LTD
SINGAPORE
EPCOS LTD
HONG KONG
EPCOS
Munich, GERMANY
EPCOS India Private Ltd.
Mumbai, INDIA
TDK Corporation
Tokyo, Japan
EPCOS Inc.
Fountain Hills AZ, USA
EPCOS do Brasil Ltda.
Gravataí, BRAZIL
Phone
Mail
+65 6597 0618
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+852 3669 8224
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+1 480 836 4104
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