Ceramic greensheet technology for glass-ceramic/copper multilevel substrates (ES9000 system)

Abstract

IBM's high end computers, models 820 and 900 of the ES9000 systems, use one of the most advanced substrates to achieve their high ultimate performance. These substrates are fabricated using a multilayer ceramic (MLC) process based on a specially developed ceramic green sheet. The author discusses the development of the green sheet, emphasizing the importance of the polymeric binder system that provides a very stable sheet insuring the alignment of millions of vias and internal interconnections. Green sheet binder formulations are reviewed, illustrating the contribution of the solvents in controlling sheet microporosity. The continuous casting process used in sheet preparation, slurry rheology, and green sheet properties is described.<>