Tom Morris, Applications Manager
IRC Advanced Film Division
Phone: 361-985-3151
Release Date: 03-May-05
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (May 3, 2005) - Providing design engineers with high power circuits and assemblies at lower costs than typical direct bonded copper methods, TT electronics IRC Advanced Film Division recently 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 for IRC Advanced Film Division. "With this unique 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 for the custom thick film circuits and assemblies are solid state relay substrates, power amplifiers and power supplies, thermo-electric coolers, water level sensors and high-brightness LED circuits.

The new thick film capability complements IRC’s Anotherm® anodized aluminum substrates, which are used for heat dissipation in high-brightness LED circuits and other power electronics applications.

Because most applications are custom, pricing and lead times are available upon request. Assemblies of outboard components are also available from IRC upon request.

IRC Inc. is a leading international manufacturer of advanced film, metal glaze and wirewound resistive products with facilities in Corpus Christi, Texas, Boone, N.C., Smithfield, N.C., and Barbados. IRC is part of TT electronics plc, a global electronics company manufacturing a broad range of advanced electronic components, assemblies and sensor modules for the automotive, telecommunications, computer and aerospace markets.

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