Multilythics - A New Circuit Technology

A process which combines the functional versatility of thick-film materials with the complexity and integrity of multilayer co-fired manufacturing was developed. This process allows us to integrate many passive functions into the "substrate" itself. The exterior surface of the device then needs only support active devices, special components like crystal oscillators, and devices requiring precision trimming. Therefore it is possible to significantly reduce the size of assembled circuits. This size reduction offers major improvements in high-frequency performance. Additionally, incorporating multiple components into the device reduces the number of interconnects and, therefore, improves the device reliability through assembly and in service. Finally, small size coupled with economies of manufacturing scale indicate that the technology will prove cost effective as well. The name chosen connotes multifunctional circuits in monolythic form. The technology will be introduced briefly and illustrated with examples of radio frequency interference (RFI) filter arrays, hybrid-circuit equivalents for audio-frequency applications, and an emitter-coupled logic (ECL) chip package for very high performance gate-array chips.