10 Preparation Methods of the Metal Heating Layer for Ceramic Atomizer Cores

I. Preface

Ceramic substrates have the advantages of low thermal resistance, high voltage resistance, high heat dissipation and long life. Because of these unique properties significantly, they have a wide application prospect in the fields of e - cigarette atomization and heat - not - burn (HNB). Just like the Intel chip is to a computer, an e cigarette's heating element is its ephemeral component. One of the indispensable preconditions for its practical use is the metallization circuit on the surface of the ceramic substrate.

This process of metallization of ceramic surface finds wide applications in electronic ceramics. Thanks to its fast heating response, its application in e - cigarette began to expand gradually. In the pod - based e - cigarette sector there are FEELM ceramic atomizer cores from Smoore, SILMO from Joyetechs ALD and FXR. In heat - not - burn (HNB) smoking devices, we have IQOS with ceramic heating sheet. The following is an Preface to surface metallization processes of ceramic substrates, only for your reference.

II. Thick - Film Technology

1- Process

Thick - film technology requires screen - printing a metal powder slurry onto the ceramic. Metal powder is molten into an organic whole by high - temperature sintering and degreasing. This process enables the deposition of a relatively thick layer of metal on the surface of the ceramic.

2- Advantage

Thick - film technology offers one of its major advantages design flexibility. For products with exactly the same size and resistance value, multiple wiring schemes can be designed. This yields products with various effects. Through the directional design for the product, the product with best thermal distribution can be obtained, which can obtain good heating and atomization effect, so as to achieve thermal efficiency and power saving.

III. DPC Direct Plate Copper Sputtering Copper Coating

1- Process

Sputtering copper coating, another name of Direct Plate Copper (cited as DPC), achieves the surface thin - film metallization with the help of vacuum sputtering techniques. Second, high - density double - sided wiring and vertical interconnection are obtained by the combination of yellow - light lithography and through - hole electroplating. In a vacuum environment, metal atoms are sputtered onto the ceramic surface. It should be noted that subsequent lithography and electroplating processes are used to precisely arrange and connect the metal layers, enabling complex and high - density circuit structures to be formed.

2- Application

This method is suitable for applications demanding high - precision and high - dense wiring, such as in advanced e - cigarette atomizer designs.

IV. Bonded Copper Coating (DBC)

1- Process

DBC stands for direct bonding copper coating, bonded copper coating. The attached copper foil is integrated on the ceramic surfaces. A chemical reaction happens at the interface and forms a new phase at high temperatures, CuAlO, or produces a dense bond.

2- Advantage

The benefit of this process is that it is suitable for secondary etching processing. The resulting thickness of the copper layer is the thickest, guaranteeing maximal reliability.

3- Application

Therefore this material is also an optimal candidate for the applications where high - current conduction and long - term stability are also indispensable, specifically e - cigarette high - power heating elements.

V. Bonded Aluminum Coating (DBA)

1- Process

Direct Bond Aluminum (acronym of DBA) is a bonded aluminum coating. The wettability of aluminum to ceramics is good in liquid state, so it is applied to realize the bonding. It melts Al directly, wetting and combining with the ceramic surface. Solid aluminum melts when the temperature exceeds 660 C. When the liquid aluminum wets the surface of the ceramics as the temperature drops, the aluminum will directly crystallize and grow on the growth nucleus provided by the ceramic surface. Cooling to room temperature achieves the union of the two.

2- Application

This is a simple approach known to form strong bonds between aluminum and ceramic. It may be suitable for some cost - sensitive applications in the e - cigarette space while still satisfying some level of property performance.

VI. Active - Technology Brazing

1- Process

In this approach, the active metal solder was printed on the ceramic surface. Then in a vacuum brazing furnace, it is welded with an oxygen - free copper foil. The surface circuit is PCB board wet etching process.

2- Advantage

The joint has less deformation during brazing process and it is smooth and beautiful. It is also used to weld precise, complex components made of various materials.

3- Application

For example, in regard to e - cigarette atomizer production, this method presents the possibility of creating a connection between the atomizer assembly consisting of different metal and ceramic parts, where the reliability of the connection forms a very important topic in ensuring the performance of the entire atomizer.

VII. Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM)

1- Process

Laser Selective Sintering (LAM) relies on a laser beam with high energy to ionize ceramic and metal material, which can thus combine with each other tightly. The high - energy laser beam locally melts and fuses the ceramic and metal powders at areas that are selected. The three - dimensional structure of the metal - ceramic composite is formed as the laser scans layer by layer.

2- Advantage

So, it can provide not only a method to control precisely the composition and microstructure of the material at the micro - level but also an important prerequisite for adapting the customized high - performance metal heating layers in the ceramic atomizers.

VIII. Electroless Plating

1- Process

A metal plating that takes place from a controllable redox reaction with the help of the catalytic action of a metal is called an electroless plating technology. In a suitable chemical system, metal ions get reduced and a metal layer forms on the ceramic surface without an external electrical power source. Its catalytic action triggers the reduction reaction, while metal atoms gradually deposit and accumulate on the surface.

2- Advantage

This technique allows to deposit a uniform and smooth metal coating to the ceramic, which has great potential for enhancing the electrical conductivity and anti - corrosion of ceramic substrate for e - cigarette applications.

IX. Thermal Spraying

1- Process

The spraying material (metal or non - metal) is melted and atomized and then sprayed on the pretreated surface of the substrate by high - speed gas flow. The high - speed gas accelerates the molten particles, which impact the ceramic surface, solidifying and sticking on it.

2- Advantage

In this way, a relatively thick layer of material can be placed on the ceramic very quickly.

3- Application

Selection of various spraying materials according to needs, metal materials can be selected to enhance electrical and thermal conductivity for e - cigarette heating elements.

X. Plasma Spraying

1- Process

In plasma spraying, a metal is melted in a plasma arc. Then, when struck by the plasma flow, the molten cation strikes the substrate surface. The high - temperature environment of the plasma arc melts the metal effectively. The high - velocity plasma flow also guarantees the even spraying of molten metal particles onto the ceramic surface.

2- Advantage

A dense and high - quality metal coating can be obtained by using this method on the ceramic with promising properties for high - performance and long - serving area application of metal - ceramic composites.

3- Application

As these facts will be the necessary foundation for the further advanced design of e - cigarette atomizers.

XI. Molybdenum - Manganese Method

1- Process

The method of molybdenum - Manganese, first the molybdenum - manganese power is mixed with an organic binder, to obtain a pasty material. This paste is then brushed onto the ceramic surface. Then it is sintered under high temperature in a reduction atmosphere to realize metallization. Then it undergoes nickel plating, and finally it is brazed to metal parts with a solder.

2- Advantage

Through this multi - step process, the metal - ceramic interface can achieve strength and reliability.

3- Application

In the e - cigarette industry, it can be used to fabricate heating elements possessing favorable electrical and mechanical properties.

XII. Summarize

As an oral - inhalation product, e - cigarettes have high requirements for food - safety level. The thick - film technology is most widely used in e - cigarettes among the above - mentioned methods. It is used in heat - not - burn and e - liquid - based e - cigarette heating elements. As mentioned before, which can work well to adapt to various product needs while maintaining greater heating and atomization performance, leading to its wider application.

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