MANUFACTURERS AND DESIGNERS OF:
Hermetically Sealed Interconnects and Microelectric Packages

Hermetically sealed connectors are interconnects that facilitate the flow of electrical current across two devices and can be mechanically coupled to, or uncoupled from, another connection. HCC produces military specification (“mil spec”) and customized connectors for aerospace, defense, industrial and petrochemical applications. For example, in an airplane cockpit, hundreds of connectors are used to provide electronic connectivity between instrument displays and the computer hardware that controls them.

HCC has three Manufacturing facilities focused on the manufacture of connectors, with one of those facilities being completely dedicated to the manufacture of circular connectors. Our sixty years of expertise is rooted in the design and manufacture of connectors

Specifically, HCC manufactures:

• Circular Connectors
• Environmental Connectors
• Rectangular Connectors
• QPL Qualification Information

Unlike plastic, hermetic products protect against various environmental conditions, including changes in atmospheric pressure, humidity/moisture, soil/grime, and other natural hazards that would otherwise disrupt electrical connections or damage delicate electronics within a hermetic product. Hermetics are constructed from materials that offer continuity of use over a long period of time so you can be rest assured that your electronics are secure and safe.

Product applications that are susceptible to harsh environmental conditions and whose disrupted functionality could cause catastrophic outcome require the use of hermetics. For example:

• The Petrochemical industry uses hermetics to protect sensors and electronics in downhole drilling exploration equipment. Exposed to dirt, oil, grime and extreme pressure, hermetic connectors, terminals and headers, as well as microelectronic packages are able to meet these stringent requirements
• The Aerospace industry uses hermetic connectors, hermetically sealed terminals and hermetically sealed headers in many systems within an airplane. Hermetic connectors are used to ensure that the integrity of delicate electronics within a black box are maintained in case the contents of the box are ever needed. Additionally, hermetic connectors are used in sensor systems within fuel systems – fuel tanks – to help notify and prevent the seepage of fuel
• The Optical Networking industry uses hermetics to protect delicate circuitry in the infrastructure currently being installed underground
• The Medical industry uses hermetics within the human body to protect ensure electronic functionality in pacemakers and hearing devices
• The Automotive industry uses hermetics to ensure sensor functionality in rollover devices and airbag equipment

A high temperature cofired ceramic package (HTCC) is a multilayered, sealed and highly reliable package created using layers of ceramic tape with thicknesses ranging from 5 to 25 millimeters, which are laminated together. The cofired ceramic packages’ tape layers, consisting of 92 percent aluminum oxide ceramic, tungsten and molymanganese, have metallized circuit patterns. Conductive vias pierce the tape layers, forming electrical interconnects between circuits. The ceramic packages’ tape layers are laminated under pressure and the ceramic and metallization are co-sintered at 1600 degrees Celsius, creating a monolithic structure with a three dimensional wiring system.

Some advantages of using high temperature cofired ceramic packages include:

• Hermeticity
• Harsh environment capability
• Thermal conductivity
• Faster switching speeds due to shorter signal paths
• Greater devise density due to more circuit layers
• Resistance to thermal and mechanical shock
• Improved conductor adherence to the ceramic and mechanical strength
• Surface flatness
• Cost competitive
• Design flexibility
• Mechanical strength, rigidity and non-flex

Hermetically sealed terminals and hermetically sealed headers are interconnect devices with single or multiple electrodes for isolation of electrical current or radio frequencies. A “terminal” is a device with a single contact pin. A “header” has multiple terminals inserted in a frame. Terminals and headers are widely used in electrical devices such as relays, transformers and capacitors as a means of allowing electrical feed-through while maintaining atmospheric insulation.

HCC designs and manufactures terminals and headers for the defense, industrial and automotive end-markets.

Specific product types include:

• Battery, Capacitor and End Seals
• Single Pin Headers / Feed Thrus
• Multi Pin Headers