Custom Metallized Ceramics for Power, Vacuum, and Industrial Systems

Metallization creates a conductive, bondable layer on a ceramic surface through a controlled, multi-step process:

1. Surface prep – Clean/activate the ceramic to ensure adhesion.

2. Apply metallization – Deposit Mo-Mn, Ag-Pd or Cu by screen printing, brushing, spraying, or vacuum deposition.

3. Firing/sintering – Fire in a controlled atmosphere to bond the metal layer to the ceramic.

4. Finishing (optional) – Plate Ni/Au (or Ag) for solderability/brazing and corrosion resistance.

5. Pattern/feature control – Define pads, keep-outs, holes/slots to match the drawing.

6. Inspection & testing – Verify thickness, adhesion, dielectric strength, and helium-leak for hermeticity.

This yields a solderable/braze-ready ceramic part with reliable ceramic-to-metal bonding.

Metalized ceramics bring several key benefits to the table:

• Unbreakable Bonds: The metal-ceramic bond formed through specialized processes is incredibly strong and hermetic, ensuring a reliable seal even under extreme conditions.
• Shape Retention: The metallization process is designed to minimize stress on the ceramic, preserving its precise shape and dimensions.
• Adaptable Joining: Metalized ceramics are compatible with various joining techniques, offering flexibility in design and assembly.
• Efficient Production: Advanced metallization techniques enable efficient, high-volume production of components.
• Consistent Performance: Precise control over the metallization process guarantees a uniform coating, ensuring consistent performance across all parts.
• Cost-Effective Solutions: Depending on the clients and specific requirements, metalized ceramics can offer competitive tooling costs and reasonable lead times.

Absolutely! Metalized ceramics are highly customizable. Adcerax has decades of experience in metalized ceramics for industries like semiconductor and electronics. with the necessary equipment and expertise to meet your specific requirements, including complex geometries, tight tolerances, and specialized materials. And ensures rigorous quality control.

Several factors are crucial to consider during the design phase of a project involving metalized ceramics:

• Material Compatibility: Pick ceramic and metal coatings that work well together and suit the environment, considering things like heat expansion and chemical reactions.
• Shape and Size: The component’s design affects the coating method and performance. Complex shapes might need special techniques.
• Operating Conditions: Think about temperature, pressure, and chemical exposure to choose the right materials and methods.
• Electrical Needs: Ensure the component meets conductivity, insulation, and strength requirements.
• Heat Control: Design for good heat transfer, as the materials’ thermal properties play a big role.
• Joining Process: The way you’ll attach the ceramic to other parts (like brazing or soldering) impacts material and design choices.
• Precision: Set clear standards for the component’s dimensions and properties.

Careful consideration of these factors during the design phase will ensure the successful implementation of metalized ceramics in your application.

Stringent quality control measures are employed throughout the manufacturing process:

• X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF): Precisely measures the thickness of metal layers, ensuring consistent performance.
• Vacuum Leak Testing: Guarantees a hermetic seal, crucial for vacuum applications.
• Microscopic Inspection: Detects any surface imperfections or defects.
• In-process Monitoring: Continuous quality checks at each stage of production maintain the highest standards.

Metalized ceramics combine the insulating strength of advanced ceramics with the electrical connectivity of metals.
They enable reliable ceramic-to-metal joints with strong adhesion, gas-tight sealing, and stable conductivity, making them ideal for high-voltage, vacuum, and thermal cycling environments where standard ceramics cannot provide bonding or electrical integration.

Polished ceramic surfaces can reach Ra < 0.3 µm before coating, ensuring smooth metallization and excellent adhesion of Mo-Mn or Ag-Pd layers.

You can buy metallized ceramics for electronics from ADCERAX, a professional metallized ceramics factory in China.
We produce substrates, insulators, feedthroughs, and custom ceramic-to-metal parts.
As a direct factory, ADCERAX provides stable quality and competitive pricing for electronic and vacuum applications.

Please send your drawings, material specifications, and quantity to info@adcerax.com. Our engineering team will evaluate the design and provide a tailored quotation within 24 hours.

Typical capability windows (actual limits depend on material, thickness, panel size, and artwork complexity):

• Screen-printed Mo-Mn / Ag-Pd:
  a. Min line/space: 0.15–0.20 mm / 0.15–0.20 mm (conservative design: 0.20/0.20 mm).
  b. Metal thickness (fired): 5–15 µm typical (locally up to ~25 µm).
  c. Registration (layer to edge/datum): ±0.02–0.05 mm.

• Cu (DBC/AMB/DPC/seed-layer + plating):
  a. Trace/space: 0.20–0.30 mm for heavy copper; finer possible with thin copper and tighter controls.
  b. Cu thickness: 100–300 µm (DBC/AMB typical); 10–60 µm for DPC/plated copper.

• Finish layers: Ni 2–7 µm, Au 0.05–0.20 µm (or Ag 2–10 µm), depending on brazing/soldering method.

• Keep-outs/edge rules (guideline): pad-to-edge ≥0.3–0.5 mm, hole-to-edge ≥0.5 mm, annular ring ≥0.20–0.30 mm.

• Flatness impact: larger/ thinner substrates require looser line/space; specify allowable warpage to balance yield.

• Note: For high-current paths or thermal spreaders, choose wider traces and thicker Cu; for fine electrodes/sensors, prioritize thinner layers and tighter registration.