Ceramic Green Sheet Traceability for Yield and Quality Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The production of ceramic substrates for electronic devices faces challenges in quality variation and yield improvement due to inadequate quality management and optimization of producing conditions during the production of ceramic green sheets, particularly in the firing and dicing processes.

Innovation Solution

A ceramic green sheet is produced with encoded barcodes or two-dimensional codes, such as QR codes, that include information about raw materials, molding conditions, release agents, and serial numbers, allowing for improved traceability and quality management by recording this information before firing, enabling better optimization of producing conditions throughout the production process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a large green sheet is produced and then divided into multiple substrates, then production efficiency is improved, but quality variation increases and yield decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidquality variation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by recording identification information and production parameters on the green sheet before firing. This allows quality management to be established at the initial production stage, enabling traceability and optimization of producing conditions before the substrates are divided, thus reducing quality variation while maintaining high production efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by recording production parameters (raw materials, molding conditions, release agents) and identification information on the green sheet. This creates a feedback mechanism that allows production conditions to be optimized based on recorded data, improving yield and reducing quality variation in subsequent firing and dicing processes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If quality management is implemented at the initial green sheet production stage, then quality variation is reduced and yield is improved, but production process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality variationVSAvoidproduction process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the identification marking function with the quality management function by using the same recorded information for both purposes. The identification information recorded on the green sheet serves both to identify individual substrates and to provide production parameters for quality management, thereby reducing the added complexity while achieving quality improvement

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach enhances traceability and quality management, reducing quality variation and improving yield by associating raw material and molding data with the final ceramic substrate, facilitating better control over production steps and resulting in higher-quality ceramic substrates.

Implementation Method 1

a drawing step of irradiating a portion of the ceramic green sheet with laser light to draw a barcode or a two-dimensional code

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser: Laser

Data Source

PatentEP3932894B1Ceramic green sheet, method for producing ceramic green sheet and method for producing ceramic substrate
Publication Date: 2023.12.27 DENKA CO LTD
  • EP3932894B1 patent drawingFigure 1(A)~1(B)
  • EP3932894B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Provided is a ceramic green sheet including a plurality of substrate forming regions. A barcode or a two-dimensional code is drawn in a portion of the ceramic green sheet. The barcode or the two-dimensional code is obtained by encoding one or more of the following information (a) to (d) . (a) Information relating to raw materials used when the ceramic green sheet is produced (b) Information relating to molding conditions of the ceramic green sheet (c) Information relating to a release agent used when a plurality of the ceramic green sheets are stacked (d) A serial number