Hybrid Micro Circuits

Abstract

Hybrid microcircuits (HMCs) are playing important roles in various electronic fields such as military, space, medical, computer, automotive, instrumentation, industry and consumer electronics etc. The strength of hybrid microelectronics is the ability to choose and mix different technologies to best meet the requirements of the application. The early hybrid microcircuits generally combined discrete transistors, diodes, capacitors and resistors to produce analog or digital circuits. But with the latest developments in microelectronics industry, the hybrid microelectronics has grown combining ICs, LSI & VLSI functions, GaAs devices, single and multiple chips, optical and superconductor chips on single monolithic ceramic substrate. For performing complex electrical functions, three-dimensional (3-D) integration is now made possible to produce advanced multi-chip and multi-layer hybrids known as multi chip modules (MCMs). High frequency, high power, higher reliability, size, weight, thermal performance, low cost and design to product turn around time are the important factors, which preferably decide the use of hybrid microelectronics. The present note introduces hybrid microcircuits, technologies for hybrid manufacturing, advanced hybrid technologies, advantages and various applications areas for hybrid microcircuits.