Ceramic PCB RFQ Checklist: Files and Specifications

What to send for a ceramic PCB quotation

A useful ceramic PCB RFQ describes the part you need to build and the conditions it must survive. A fabrication image alone does not tell a reviewer which ceramic grade, metallization route, thickness, finish or inspection criteria you intend. If some choices are still open, mark them as options instead of guessing. This checklist is for the information you prepare before contacting a supplier; it is not a promise that every listed process or file format is accepted for production.

Start with one controlled part definition

• Drawing and revision: identify the part number, drawing revision, units, overall dimensions, thickness, edge features, holes, datum scheme and tolerances. Say which document controls if a drawing and data package disagree.
• Material: specify alumina, aluminum nitride or another ceramic, and give the grade or approved material specification when known. “Ceramic” alone leaves material properties unresolved. State whether alternates may be proposed.
• Metallization: describe the functional requirement—current, feature size, attachment method and operating environment. If you have selected DBC, DPC, AMB, thick film or thin film, identify it. If not, ask for an option with its assumptions shown.
• Conductor and finish: identify copper or other metal, nominal thickness, side or layer assignment, exposed metal finish and any separate wire-bond or solderable areas. Do not assume one finish suits both attachment methods.
• Geometry: include conductor artwork, minimum trace/space, pad dimensions, hole diameter and location, via function, edge clearance, corner treatment and any singulation or panel requirements. Mark critical dimensions.
• Use and acceptance: provide expected electrical isolation, heat path, temperature range, assembly process and the tests or inspection evidence you will require. Define the test conditions with your acceptance limits rather than requesting a generic “high voltage” or “high reliability” board.
• Commercial scope: specify prototype and forecast quantities separately, destination, target schedule and whether you need bare substrates, patterned boards or assembly. A target date is a planning input, not an agreed lead time.

Include fabrication data that can be interpreted

Where available, provide the native CAD source plus an agreed manufacturing export and a human-readable drawing. Gerber files carry layer images; Gerber X2 attributes can also identify layer and feature functions. Ucamco explains the current format and provides a reference viewer. IPC-2581 is another design-to-manufacturing data exchange format. Format names alone are insufficient: include a layer map, units, outline, drill or laser-hole information, revision and notes on how every file relates to the drawing. Ask the receiving manufacturer which formats and secure transfer route it accepts before sending controlled design files. Ucamco Gerber specification and guidance; IPC design standards.

Show the stack-up and the heat path

For a metallized ceramic substrate, show ceramic thickness, conductor thickness on each face, any patterned or unpatterned backside metal, finish, attachment layers and the surface that contacts the next thermal element. A request for “high thermal conductivity” cannot be evaluated from substrate material alone. The heat path also depends on thickness, area, metal spreading and the interfaces on either side. Our ceramic material comparison introduces the material families; the DBC and DPC comparison explains why a process decision changes conductor geometry. They are decision aids, not substitutes for the drawing.

Questions to resolve before the drawing is frozen

1. Is the specified material a particular supplier grade or a performance requirement with approved alternates?
2. Which conductor features are electrically critical, and which clearances or edge locations are mechanically critical?
3. Are holes unplated, metallized, filled, or used only for alignment? What is the acceptance test for each function?
4. Will the assembly be soldered, sintered, wire-bonded or otherwise attached? Which surfaces have different finish requirements?
5. Which measurements must appear on a first-article or lot report, and what sampling or traceability does the purchase specification require?

Rogers’ guidance for metallized ceramic substrates identifies dimensions, ceramic type and thickness, copper thickness on both faces, surface finish and quantity as useful first-quote inputs. That example is a useful starting point, but its production capabilities belong to Rogers and should not be read as AluminaPCB specifications. Rogers: power electronics substrate questions.

Send a concise RFQ

Attach the controlled drawing and data package, state the unresolved choices, and request a quotation that lists material, process, finish, inspection scope and exceptions to your drawing. If you only have a sketch, label it preliminary and ask what additional data is needed for a firm quotation. Contact AluminaPCB to start that review. Confirm the accepted file format and transfer method before sharing confidential files.