Remtec Adds New Gold-Tin Plating Line for Economic Production of High Quality Laser Diode Submounts and Semiconductor Packaging
Norwood, MA. Remtec Inc., a leader in custom and semi-custom ceramic packaging based on Plated Copper & Thick Film (PCTF) technology has completed the installation of a new state-of-the-art gold-tin plating line and associated process control and quality assurance equipment. The contemporary new line provides Remtec with a completely integrated in-house capability to economically produce high quality laser diode submounts with Zero Pullback copper metallization and selective gold-tin finish as well as ceramic substrate packages and packaging components with gold- tin finish. These products will also benefit from the additional advantages of PCTF technology such as wraparounds and copper plated via fills.
The cost of PCTF submounts with gold tin finish is substantially lower than those produced by the deposition sputtering or evaporation thin film techniques due to the integrated in-house production line and the inherently less expensive nature of both the PCTF manufacturing process and the gold-tin application method. In addition, gold tin plating capability up to 50 µm thick provides a flexible option to replaces labor intensive solder preforms for combo lids, substrates and packages.
Fully integrated production of the gold-tin plating processes, additional statistical process controls (SPC) and new quality control equipment have significantly raised Remtec's quality levels. The new quality control equipment includes an x-ray fluorescence (XRF) , an energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and a spectrophotometer. These instruments allow fast and accurate control and recording of critical parameters such as gold-tin composition and thickness distribution.
Remtec's new plating line produces gold-tin alloys with compositions varying from 72/28 to 80/20, and the thickness can be specified between 3 to 50 microns. Substrates are available with multiple metallization techniques and selective plating options permitting both silver thick film and TiW thin film seed layers of various thicknesses, plated copper from 5 to 75 microns and Ni-Au finish with gold thickness from .1 to 2.5 microns. Ceramic and copper surface finish can be held to less than 1um.
With in-house control of all processes of the new gold-tin plating line, Remtec provides a single reliable source for the economic production of high quality laser diode submounts, ceramic substrates, packages and semiconductor components.
Remtec, a RoHs compliant and ISO 9001: 2000 registered company, operates a manufacturing facility totaling 30,000 sq. ft. in Norwood, MA. Remtec provides custom and semi-custom packaging solutions using PCTF technology and DBC substrates for DC power electronics, optoelectronics and MW/RF products in military and commercial industries.
