Heraeus Electronics, a provider of materials for the semiconductor and electronic packaging industries, and Toshiba Materials are to jointly develop and produce metal ceramic substrates made of silicon nitride (Si3N4) for high-performance electronics.

The growth of the e-mobility market, in particular, has created an increased demand for more efficient, economical and reliable power electronic components for hybrid and electric vehicles. This full-scale collaboration will enable both companies to address this critical need.

Silicon nitride metal ceramic substrates possess excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, which are used as heat-dissipating and insulating parts in power modules. It is expected that demand for silicon nitride metal ceramic substrates with high reliability will increase in the future by expanded use in power modules installed in electric vehicles.

“The European market wants a highly reliable and highly functional ceramic substrate, and we are convinced that silicon nitride will be a solution for it,” says Takao Shirai, Director of Toshiba Materials. “Because Europe is environmentally conscious orientated and a significant industrial base of automobiles and power modules, we believe it is a huge potential market of silicon nitride metal ceramic substrates with high reliability as well as in Japan.”