Ultimate Silicon Nitride Substrate PCB Manufacturer for You

Go to PCBMay for Incomparable Silicon Nitride Substrate PCB

Please get in touch with our company if you have any PCB key challenges. With PCBMay, you can rest assured that your PCB is fully functional. Interconnection of PCB stack-up layers is no longer a concern if you partner with us.

• Silicon material for excellent bending resistance
• Even in the most difficult conditions, it will not break.
• Thermal conductivity is good, and it cools and heats quickly
• Moisture and oxidation damage prevented
• Suitable for use alongside power applications and Power PCBs

We will make your life easier when it comes to PCBs and PCB concerns. Let’s start with your PCB layout. Even if you desire a sophisticated Multilayer PCB but don’t know where to begin, we can assist you by applying Silicon Nitride Substrate.

After 1-2 hours, our engineers will be able to respond to your technical questions. We will support you with any PCB details so that your PCB design is flawless! Our employees have more than ten years of experience in the PCB sector, so they are well-qualified to answer Silicon Nitride Substrate questions.

If you’re looking to manufacture energy-generating PCBs, RF application PCBs, or military PCBs, you’ve come to the right place. Well, we can design that with new software! Our engineering team, for example, is capable of designing in Altium or Kicad.

Assume you already have a PCB design mapped out. If that’s the case, we can expedite your PCB fabrication!

Are you persuaded yet? Don’t wait any longer! Give us a call right away! We are available at all times.

If you order fast, your Silicon Nitride Substrate PCB is on its way to you.

Silicon Nitride Substrate | The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Are you worried about thermal performance in your power electronic devices?

Using Silicon Nitride substrate is a reliable solution to this problem in modern days. This substrate brings about the best performance of electronic components in terms of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.

PCBMay is a well-known fabricator and supplier of Silicon Nitride substrates in China. We can deliver the circuit board substrate as per your demand at convenient prices.

Do you have enough ideas about the applications and features of Si₃N₄ substrates?

Don’t worry. This FAQ guide will cover the ins and outs of this PCB substrate. We hope it will help upgrade your device’s efficiency to the next level.

Let’s make a move.

What Is Silicon Nitride Substrate?

Silicon Nitride substrate is an effective material whose principal material is Silicon Nitride. It promotes the functionality of different elements used in power electronics. This substrate offers high bending strength compared to other PCB substrates.

That’s why its acceptability is very high and manufacturers remain assured of the thermal or mechanical effectiveness of electronic components. Silicon Nitride structure is a highly stable and commercially important compound.

This substrate ensures outstanding thermal conductivity and fracture toughness in various electronic applications, especially in power modules.

The standard size of the substrate of Silicon Nitride is 5.5”-7.5”. You can find tolerance of around ±1.0% and　NLT:±0.1 mm in the case of substrate size. Besides, its thickness varies from 0.25mm to 0.65mm where tolerance is around 10%.

Usually, Si₃N₄ substrates have come out as a dependable competitor of traditional PCB substrates. Their amazing robustness and thermal efficiency improve the circuit board’s functional properties to a great extent.

Watch this video about the Silicon Nitride compound:

You can find various Si₃N₄ substrates in the present market that can meet up your demands. The most used Si₃N₄ substrates are-

Power Module Si₃N₄ substrates

These substrates are capable of handling advanced interconnects. Besides, you can incorporate them into energy-producing electrical projects where the layer count is high.

Electronic Module Si₃N₄ substrates

Silicon Nitride PCB substrates are worthwhile for high-volume semiconductor productions. In the case of both OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) and ODM (Original Direct Manufacturing) services, electronic module Si₃N₄ substrates always include an additional dimension.

Thin Si₃N₄ substrates

If you are puzzled with your wave application of mm ranges, you can use thin Silicon Nitride substrates. A well-fabricated PCB substrate can provide the optimum output of the high-frequency signal transmission.

Thick Si₃N₄ substrates

These substrates are perfect for high-current PCB applications, such as the automotive industry. Silicon Nitride with 2 Oz copper is beneficial to handle high current loads that ensure the integrity of electronic devices.

High TG Si₃N₄ substrates

Another vital type of Si₃N₄ substrate is the high TG substrate. Do you think that higher heat tolerance is impossible in power electronics?

High TG silicon nitrides ensure sufficient tolerance against thermal pressures. These substrates have extensive use in commercial equipment like Energy Meter PCBs, Motor PCBs, Solar PCBs, etc.

Ceramic Si₃N₄ substrates

If you desire digital improvement in your devices, ceramic Si₃N₄ substrates are eligible for this issue.  Normally, you can find ceramic Si₃N₄ substrates in PCB pitches.

Silicon Nitride Substrate For Power Electronic Applications

What Are The Silicon Nitride Substrate Properties?

Some electronic applications have been suffering from power and current management. Silicon Nitride Substrates have properties useful for high power circuits. Their most noteworthy properties are listed below for your convenience. Let’s have a look.

Highly Effective Silicon Nitride Substrates

If you notice the values of Silicon Nitride’s properties, you can find some important points that make this substrate different from others. Such as-

• Its bending strength is significantly high.
• Its thermal conductivity is quite impressive compared to Aluminum Nitride substrates.
• In terms of Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE), this substrate is almost the same as Silicon.
• Its insulation, dielectric properties, volume resistivity, etc are commendable enough to be compatible with the power components of modern electronics.

So, it’s very clear that Silicon Nitride substrates provide top-notch features when used in electronic appliances. Their electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties are highly effective to upgrade the circuit’s functionality.

Is Silicon Nitride An Insulator?

Yes. Silicon Nitride acts as an insulator. It happens when Si₃N₄ comes with low conductivity and high resistance. Usually, you can find Silicon Nitride Insulator substrate in RF heating appliances.

This insulator delivers a higher thermal shock resistance than other substrates in rigid devices.

Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrates

Why Is Silicon Nitride Substrate A Ceramic?

Silicon Nitrides have similar properties like high rigidity, worthwhile wear resistance, and high mechanical strength as ceramic substrates. Besides, they show effective thermal conduction in power circuits.

That’s why Silicon Nitride substrates are considered ceramic.

Different types of Si3N4 ceramic substrates are available in the market. Such as-

• Hot Pressed Si₃N₄
• Sintered Reaction Bonded Si₃N₄
• Sintered Si₃N₄

Thermally Effective Si₃N₄ Substrate

Why Does Silicon Nitride Substrate Have A High Melting Point?

Usually, chemical compounds with a huge size have a high melting temperature.

Silicon Nitride has a giant structure. Here, silicon creates a covalent bond with Nitrogen atoms that lead to a gigantic form. So, you need to apply high heat to break the covalent structure between Silicon and Nitride. This is almost 1900⁰C.

That’s why Si₃N₄ substrates have a high melting point.

Silicon Nitride With High Melting Point

What Is The Hardness Of Silicon Nitride Substrate?

Silicon Nitride substrates show excellent mechanical strength in different applications. Their Vicker hardness is very high (more than 15 GPa). Besides, Si₃N₄ provides around 800 MPa binding strength. These features indicate a worthwhile hardness of Silicon Nitride substrates.

Robust Substrate Of Silicon Nitride Compound

What Are The Comparisons Between Silicon Nitride Substrates And Other Ceramics?

Silicon Nitride Substrates ensure improved functionality in high-power devices. But there are so many substrates used in this sector, along with Si₃N₄ substrates. Such as Aluminum Nitride (Al2O3), Silicon carbide (SiC), etc. All of these PCB substrates deliver excellent performance in particular fields.

So, how can you compare them?

Don’t worry. We are here with a comparative analysis between different substrates and ceramics used in power electronics.

The performance of different substrates varies in the case of some crucial factors. Like-

Thermal Conductivity

One of the most crucial factors when choosing between ceramic substrates is thermal conductivity. In the case of power circuits, heat dissipation is a critical issue. The entire performance depends on this subject to a large extent.

You can see that AlN delivers a higher thermal conduction capacity than Si₃N₄ substrates. But if you consider thermal conductivity to reliability ratio, you have to give your vote to Si₃N₄ substrates.

While comparing thermal conduction with Alumina or ZTA (Zirconia Toughened Alumina), Si₃N₄ substrates provide superior performance. That’s why you can achieve better toughness and bending strength in substrates having Si₃N₄.

Reliability

Substrate reliability is another vital issue for manufacturers. You can check the reliability concerning the number of cycles required to identify delamination and conchoidal fractures.

That means Silicon Nitride has no competitor in this event. This substrate offers around 50 times higher reliability compared to other ceramics. Its high fracture toughness is also important to promote reliability to the next level.

Binding Strength

The binding strength of a ceramic substrate indicates how strong the bond exists between them.

This chart shows us that Silicon Nitride AMB (Active Metal Brazing) has slightly lower binding energy than ZTA DBC (Direct Bonded Copper). But its value is also effective for high-class power equipment.

Thermal Performance

This is arguably the most essential part of this topic. Thermal management is a challenging task in power modules. That’s why the utility of substrates mostly depends on thermal performance.

Here, the lower value of thermal resistivity in the case of Si₃N₄ substrates indicates their high thermal conduction capacity. That means these substrates deliver superb performance in thermal resistivity with great efficiency. This feature improves their reliability to a certain degree.

Fracture Toughness

This factor defines the robustness of ceramic substrates. Its higher value is a dependable indicator of reliable PCB substrates.

You can see from this chart that Si₃N₄ substrates ensure higher fracture toughness than other ceramics. That means  Silicon Nitride is resistant to mechanical forces, like vibrational forces.

Life Cycle Of Power Module

Si₃N₄ substrates ensure an extended lifespan of power modules. Their excellent thermal efficiency and improved reliability play a significant role in increasing the operating life of a power device.

Besides, Si₃N₄ substrates have sufficient robustness in electronic products. That means these items have commendable resistance against external forces like moisture, dust, water contamination, etc. All of these indicate that you can enjoy a hassle-free service of electronic appliances having Si₃N₄ substrates for quite a long period.

Comparison Between Thermal Conductivity Of Si₃N₄ And AlN Substrates

It is clear from the analysis given above that a well-structured Silicon Nitride provides superb services in different aspects.

That’s why you can rely on this substrate so that you can experience improved functionality and durability of electronic circuits.

What Are The Significant Applications Of Silicon Nitride Substrate In Power Electronics?

Silicon nitride substrate has versatile applications in the power industry. Do you know what Silicon Nitride is used for?

This PCB material is highly applicable in the following sectors-

Automotive Industry

Ceramic Si₃N₄ substrates have significant use in the automotive industry. High-frequency and high-speed automobiles deliver amazing durability and functionality due to being composed of Silicon Nitride substrates.

Moreover, these substrates are highly applicable in industrial appliances like engine components, cutting equipment, bearings, etc.

Power Amplifier

Si₃N₄ substrates promote the amplification capability of power amplifiers. As they can handle high heat situations and resist excessive thermal forces, you can use them in antenna services.

Besides, these substrates ensure quality signal transmission in high-power PCB applications.

Heat Sink

Silicon nitride is a good medium that dissipates heat swiftly. That’s why it has extensive use in heat sink productions.

Heat Spreader

Because of high thermal conductivity, Si₃N₄ substrates are useful as heat spreaders. Their low thermal resistivity improves the thermal management of power circuits to the next level.

Semiconductor

Thin Si₃N₄ substrates are effective for semiconductor productions on a large scale. These substrates improve the charge carrying capacity of different semiconductors. This feature ultimately promotes the transistor’s integrity and overall functional properties.

Application Of Silicon Nitride Substrate

How Does Silicon Nitride Substrate Handle High Temperatures?

Silicon nitride substrates are reputable for their superb thermal management. These substrates handle high temperatures with great efficiency. Do you know the reason behind it?

Let’s find out.

Si₃N₄ substrates have superior thermal conductivity. Usually,  power components produce high power during their operations and suffer a lot. But Silicon nitride materials can dissipate additional heat efficiently to the heat sink. That’s why no significant complication occurs when power components function.

Besides, Silicon nitride has a high melting point. That means it can tolerate more heat compared to other ceramic substrates. All of these matters make Si₃N₄ substrates a worthwhile option for upgrading power circuits.

Temperature Control Of Si₃N₄ Substrates

What Are The Advantages Of Silicon Nitride Substrate?

Silicon Nitride substrate has a lot of advantageous features in practical cases.

Noise Reduction Of Silicon Nitride In Polymer Substrates

The most noteworthy benefits of this substrate are-

• Power Management

Si₃N₄ substrates enable your device’s circuit to handle high power components.

• High Temperatures Control

These PCB substrates control temperature change very efficiently because of their high thermal conductivity.

• Excellent Heat Distribution

In the case of multilayer power components, Si₃N₄ substrates ensure smooth heat distribution.

• Improved Reliability

Silicon Nitride improves the reliability of electronic products. You can use them in versatile fields due to their high-class usability.

Besides, it helps reduce noise and EMI effects during signal transmission in modern communication devices.

• Worthwhile Fracture Toughness

Their fracture toughness indicates their robust nature and usefulness in semiconductor-based electronic applications. They incorporate a strong binding force in circuit boards with a high layer count.

• Reliable Impedance Stability

Silicon Nitride relieves you from the tension of maintaining electrical stability. This substrate maintains controlled impedance and dielectric features with superb reliability.

• Long Lifespan

Si₃N₄ substrates improve the durability of electrical components that lead to longer shelf life.

Si₃N₄ Substrates Grating Coupler

What Are The Life Cycles Of Silicon Nitride Substrates?

Silicon Nitride substrates deliver longer life cycles in power circuits. Their high rigidity and resistance against corrosion ensure almost 5000 life cycles whereas AlN provides 35 life cycles in power modules.

How Does Dielectric Constant Affect Silicon Nitride Substrate?

Dielectric constant or relative permittivity is a crucial factor in electronic applications. This is related to the medium where electric charges move. It refers to the ratio of forces between two charges staying at a certain distance in free space and a particular medium.

Dielectric constant affects Silicon nitride substrate in many ways. Such as-

• Its lower value ensures a low dissipation factor or loss tangent in PCB substrates.
• It influences the dielectric strength to a large extent. Usually,  a low DK value is preferable for higher insulation, whichmeans high dielectric strength.
• The DK value of the Si₃N₄substrate is considered with great attention while controlling impedance.
• It influences the thermal performance of PCB substrates made of Si₃N₄compounds.

Dielectric Constant Of PCB Substrate

Higher DK causes deficiency in electronic applications, especially in power modules. So, you must focus on using Si₃N₄ substrates offering a low dielectric constant.

Check this video on how to measure DK value in PCB substrates:

Is Silicon Nitride Crystalline?

Silicon Nitride substrates have two crystalline structures.

• α-Si3N4
• β-Si3N4

Between these two, α-Si₃N₄ substrates have a hexagonal shape where you can find a β-Si₃N₄ substrate in phenacite structure.

How To Test Silicon Nitride Substrate?

It is possible to test Silicon nitride substrates manually and automatically. But automated processes are more effective for delivering the best report. The most reputable inspections of these PCB substrates include-

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI)

This test checks the electrical and mechanical properties of substrates. During the AOI test, a well-made machine takes photographs of Si₃N₄ substrates from different sides. This machine compares 2D and 3D images with an ideal substrate.

That’s how the AOI test can identify the defects. This test mainly focuses on finding missing components, improper connections, etc. You can get a trustworthy result through the AOI test, but it is costly. So, you can optimize your cost by using this inspection in the Substrate used in the production of power modules.

Automated X-ray Inspection (AXI)

The AXI test is another dependable automated process to identify faults in Si₃N₄ substrates. It is primarily viable to check dimensional faults like improper substrate size, thicknesses, deficiency in thermal tolerances, etc.

Here, the. X-ray penetrates the substrate and a skilled inspector checks the critical portions of this PCB material. This test is also expensive but effective.

Si₃N₄ Substrates Inspection

Except for these automated tests, you can depend on manual inspections. Besides, thermal tests, peel tests, etc are useful to check the thermal management of Si₃N₄ substrates. You can choose a PCB manufacturer that can take care of substrate testing without causing any difficulties.

Which Things Do You Need To Consider While Choosing A Reliable Silicon Nitride Substrate Provider?

Silicon nitride substrate is a crucial element in the production of electronic components. You have to ensure the best result of using this PCB substrate so that it can match your requirement.

In that sense, the necessity of choosing a dependable substrate provider is beyond question. Only an experienced and skilled fabricator can bring out the desired output from this substrate.

But how do you find a reliable Si₃N₄ substrate provider?

You have to focus on some points that will provide a clear view of the fabricator’s capability. Such as

Experience

The fabrication process of any kind of substrate requires immense experience with sound skill. Si₃N₄ substrate is not a different case. You must choose a fabricator who has enough knowledge of different aspects of machining and layering of this substrate.

Besides, technical staff should be skilled enough to handle minor to major problems of the fabrication process. You can get an idea about the experience of Si₃N₄ substrate providers from their website and customer review. If you get a positive vibe about a manufacturer from these sources, you can go for that.

Test Equipment

Si₃N₄ substrates need to be gone through several tests so that you know about their functional properties properly. That means test equipment plays a crucial part in this matter.

It is necessary to select a substrate provider that offers sufficient testing facilities with well-planned factory services. If your manufacturer can conduct inspections on their own, it will save the production cost to a certain degree.

But you can rely on OEM and ODM services in the case of not having equipment facilities. In that case, you should be determined about its ability to deliver work within the lead time.

Cost Performance

This is another important feature when you are choosing a Silicon Nitride substrate provider in China. You can’t afford a product that is economically not viable. To be sure about this issue, you can check a fabricator’s cost-to-performance ratio. Always try to get the best service within your budget and capability.

Reliability

How can you check the reliability of a PCB substrate provider?

If that fabricator has IPC and RoHS certificates, you can take it into account. Moreover,  you need to check its component sourcing, assembly services, collaboration capacity, etc. If your fabricator has positive reports on all of these factors, your choice will undoubtedly be superb.

Reliable Si₃N₄ Substrate Fabrication

We have been providing quality service for Si₃N₄ substrate fabrications for around 15 years. Our services are worthwhile for high-volume power electronics and commercial productions. You also get satisfied with our cost performance. So, contact us immediately to get your quote and ensure the best Si3N4 substrate for your projects.

Conclusion

This is all about Silicon Nitride substrate. We hope that you have got answers to all of your queries from this FAQ guide. This substrate improves the thermal conductivity and dielectric properties to a large extent, with maintaining mechanical stability.

If you want to fulfill your high-tech need, the incorporation of Si₃N₄ substrates is the most suitable option. PCBMay provides superior service in the case of Si₃N₄ substrate fabrication and machining. Contact us in case you have more queries about this subject and get a hassle-free fabrication service.