<s>
Co-fired	B-Algorithm
ceramic	I-Algorithm
devices	O
are	O
monolithic	O
,	O
ceramic	O
microelectronic	O
devices	O
where	O
the	O
entire	O
ceramic	O
support	O
structure	O
and	O
any	O
conductive	O
,	O
resistive	O
,	O
and	O
dielectric	O
materials	O
are	O
fired	O
in	O
a	O
kiln	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
devices	O
include	O
capacitors	O
,	O
inductors	O
,	O
resistors	O
,	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
hybrid	O
circuits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technology	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
robust	O
assembly	O
and	O
packaging	B-Algorithm
of	O
electronic	O
components	O
multi-layer	O
packaging	B-Algorithm
in	O
the	O
electronics	O
industry	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
military	O
electronics	O
,	O
MEMS	B-Architecture
,	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
and	O
RF	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Co-fired	B-Algorithm
ceramic	I-Algorithm
devices	O
are	O
fabricated	O
using	O
a	O
multilayer	O
approach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
differs	O
from	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
device	I-Architecture
fabrication	I-Architecture
,	O
where	O
layers	O
are	O
processed	O
serially	O
,	O
and	O
each	O
new	O
layer	O
is	O
fabricated	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
previous	O
layers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Co-fired	B-Algorithm
ceramics	I-Algorithm
were	O
first	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1950s	O
and	O
early	O
1960s	O
to	O
make	O
more	O
robust	O
capacitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
detail	O
,	O
these	O
applications	O
comprise	O
mobile	O
telecommunication	O
devices	O
(	O
0.8	O
–	O
2GHz	O
)	O
,	O
wireless	O
local	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
(	O
2.4GHz	O
)	O
to	O
in-car	O
radars	B-Application
(	O
50	O
–	O
140GHz	O
,	O
and	O
76GHz	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Laser	B-Algorithm
trimming	I-Algorithm
one	O
can	O
achieve	O
these	O
resistances	O
with	O
different	O
cut	O
forms	O
to	O
the	O
exact	O
resistance	O
value	O
( ±1%	O
)	O
desired	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LTCC	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
are	O
similar	O
to	O
LTCC	O
inductors	O
except	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
contain	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
windings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
improve	O
coupling	O
between	O
windings	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
includes	O
a	O
low-permeability	O
dielectric	O
material	O
printed	O
over	O
the	O
windings	O
on	O
each	O
layer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
monolithic	O
nature	O
of	O
LTCC	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
leads	O
to	O
a	O
lower	O
height	O
than	O
traditional	O
wire	O
wound	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
the	O
integrated	O
core	O
and	O
windings	O
mean	O
these	O
transformers	B-Algorithm
are	O
not	O
prone	O
to	O
wire	O
break	O
failures	O
in	O
high	O
mechanical	O
stress	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Integration	O
of	O
thick-film	O
passive	O
components	O
and	O
3D	O
mechanical	O
structures	O
inside	O
one	O
module	O
permitted	O
the	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
of	O
sophisticated	O
3D	O
LTCC	O
sensors	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
possibility	O
of	O
the	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
of	O
many	O
various	O
passive	O
thick-film	O
components	O
,	O
sensors	O
and	O
3D	O
mechanical	O
structures	O
enabled	O
the	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
of	O
multilayer	O
LTCC	O
microsystems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Low-temperature	O
co-firing	O
technology	O
presents	O
advantages	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
packaging	B-Algorithm
technologies	O
including	O
high-temperature	O
co-firing	O
:	O
the	O
ceramic	O
is	O
generally	O
fired	O
below	O
1,000	O
°C	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
special	O
composition	O
of	O
the	O
material	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advantages	O
of	O
HTCC	O
in	O
packaging	B-Algorithm
technology	O
includes	O
mechanical	O
rigidity	O
and	O
hermeticity	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
important	O
in	O
high-reliability	O
and	O
environmentally	O
stressful	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
advantage	O
is	O
HTCC	O
's	O
thermal	O
dissipation	O
capability	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
this	O
a	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
packaging	B-Algorithm
choice	O
,	O
especially	O
for	O
higher-performance	O
processors	O
.	O
</s>
