TT electronics IRC Advanced Film Division developed a technique to produce custom thick film circuits and assemblies that allow high current-carrying traces (up to 100 amps) to be printed onto ceramic substrates for power hybrids or solid state relay substrates.

"By using these custom thick film circuits, design engineers can integrate current sense resistors with values as low as to 2 milliohms directly into the power hybrid substrate, which is not a possibility with direct bonded copper," said Tom Morris, applications engineering manager. "With this design, the circuits can be printed directly on a heat sink, eliminating the additional costs and processes of connecting a heatsink to a power substrate."

According to Morris, the copper fired thick films allow different types of circuits, including thermistors and temperature sensors, high voltage and pulse withstanding circuits to be combined on one board.

Typical applications are solid state relay substrates, power amplifiers and power supplies, thermo-electric coolers, water level sensors and high-brightness LED circuits.

TT electronics IRC Advanced Film Division, www.irctt.com

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