A breakthrough in mass production has been accomplished for an innovative as‑fired silicon nitride ceramic substrate with a thickness of just 70 micrometers (0.07 mm) - setting a new domestic record for ultra‑thin silicon nitride substrate production and elevating the company's industrialisation capability to a first‑tier level in the industry.
The development team achieved this through key technologies including precise crystal‑phase control and optimisation of ultrafine powder slurries. They also adopted a novel integrated one‑step forming and sintering process that eliminates the grinding step, enabling direct firing at nearly 2000 °C. This approach significantly improves material utilisation and production efficiency. The resulting substrates not only reach a record‑thin 70 μm thickness, but also withstand large‑angle bending of up to 120° without fracture, with a stable flexural strength of 1200 MPa and a thermal conductivity of approximately 85 W/m·K.
Silicon nitride substrates are mainly used in packaging for AI computing chips, electric vehicle drive modules, and other high‑power devices. Ceramics are inherently hard and brittle, and for silicon nitride substrates, cracking and warpage are common during forming and sintering - the thinner the substrate, the lower the production yield. Currently, domestically produced substrates typically have a thickness of around 0.254 mm. Thickness directly determines thermal resistance: a thinner substrate reduces thermal resistance and shortens the heat dissipation path, which is critical for meeting the cooling demands of high‑power components such as AI chips. At the same time, ultra‑thin substrates save valuable space in electronic devices, making them key to module miniaturisation and lightweighting.
This breakthrough in ultra‑thin silicon nitride ceramic substrates represents a significant advance in advanced ceramic materials. It not only overcomes the longstanding "thin yet fragile" technical bottleneck, but also provides a critical material foundation for the miniaturisation, high reliability, and efficient thermal management of high‑performance electronic devices through innovative processing routes.