Electrically insulating coatings featuring high dielectric strength, high electrical resistance and high thermal conductivity are essential for applications in high power electronics. The capability of HVOF-sprayed coatings for high power electronic components based on 20 different powders was investigated in this study. The powders used are aluminum oxide ceramics containing additives of chromium oxide, titanium oxide and magnesium oxide. Key result of this study is that both, pure alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) and one class of spinel (Al 2 O 3 - 28MgO) meet the requirements for electrical insulation. In order to reach high resistivity, the insulation coatings should be sealed subsequently. The amount of impurities, such as Na 2 O or Fe 2 O 3 must be less than 0.1%.

This paper deals with some of the latest developments and serial production applications at OBZ innovation GMBH. With three serial production cold gas systems and one for the R&D department, obz innovation gmbh is the leading supplier of cold sprayed coatings. The development of the well-known serial production process of a sinusoidal copper coating for hybrid cars is explained. Furthermore our ferritic chromium steel induction coating and our newly developed product, an immanent temperature limiting function for safety critical reasons, will be addressed. As an example for a current field of research currently examined at obz within a public funded project will be discussed insulating ceramics for power electronics with cold sprayed circuit paths for a potential use in fields like automotive and others. Last but not least, the latest product, “obz fingerprint” and “obz sensor” coatings that can be used against plagiarism and as a sensory element are presented for the first time.

In accordance with the predictions of the International Semiconductor Association, a further decrease in the structural widths of semiconductor devices is expected. For an in-depth characterization of actual structural details, the transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-technique is becoming more and more significant. An urgent requirement is in the visualization of dimensions of the doped regions and estimation of p-n-junctions profile with a high level spatial resolution. The off-axis electron holography, a special TEM-technique, is able to visualize electrically active areas in semiconductors. This article describes a way to achieve sample preparation for TEM-holography from actual memory products and also provides an idea of the potential of this technique for semiconductor failure analysis. It shows that different types and sizes of FET's and testing structures could be visualized by focusing on the physical basics, technical solutions, and sample preparation.