Due to significantly lower power consumption and a much longer lifetime compared to regular illuminants (such as gas discharge lamps) LED lamps are increasingly gaining importance in illumination technology, especially for street and open space
lighting.

The light-emitting diodes (LED) used are electronic semiconductor components, which emit a certain light due to a respective current flow in conducting direction.
In LED technology, a distinction is made between standard LED and so-called high power LED.

The applications for high-power LED vary widely and are rapidly increasing. Highpower LED in particular have high requirements, since they operate on high power. Hence, sound heat dissipation is of great importance, among other things in order to, ensure the longlife of the silicon crystal. This requirement is fulfilled by so-called DCB.

These are special printed boards on which copper strips (strip gauge ca. 0.1 – 0.6 mm) are applied to ceramic substrates (aluminum oxide or aluminum nitrite). The compound between the pre-oxidised copper layer and the ceramic is set by a bonding process carried out by thermal treatment above 1000 °C. For certain substrate variations the copper conductors are additionally superimposed with gold or nickel platings.

Specifically for the copper strips used in DCB production, completely new technical solutions had to be developed. In close cooperation with research and development by Aurubis Hamburg, Aurubis Stolberg came up with process engineering solutions for the reliable production of strips made of high purity copper alloys developed especially for this application purpose. The highest quality requirements are ensured
by specially set up production processes for finishing to DCB substrate.

Besides the DCB printed board, copper is also transformed into copper base alloys
for use in leadframes and heatsinks in LED technology. These strip products, with exceptional standards in respect of surface quality, are also an inherent part of the product range of Aurubis Stolberg.