Heraeus Webinar to Address Silver Reduction in Automotive Power Electronics
Rising silver costs are driving engineers to evaluate zero-silver substrates and low-silver solder alloys for SiC modules.
Heraeus Electronics is hosting a webinar September 15, 2026, focused on reducing silver dependency in automotive power electronics as prices for the precious metal continue to climb.
What Happened
The company will present its Condura.ultra substrate technology—a silver-free active metal brazing solution containing 0% silver that Heraeus says delivers performance comparable to conventional silver-containing AMB substrates. The webinar also compares multiple solder interconnect options, including SAC305 (3.0% silver), SAC105 (1.0% silver), standard Innolot (3.8% silver), and the lower-silver IL 2.0 alloy containing 1.5% silver while maintaining high-reliability performance. According to Heraeus, at current market prices, IL 2.0 offers both superior performance and lower material cost compared to SAC305.
Why It Matters
Silver prices surged approximately 160% in 2025 alone—rising from $933/kg to $2,470/kg—and remain volatile. For automotive manufacturers adopting silicon carbide power modules, this creates pressure on material costs for solder, sinter, and active-metal-brazed substrates. Engineers must balance silver reduction against the elevated switching speeds, higher operating temperatures, and stringent reliability standards that SiC systems demand in electric vehicles.
The Bottom Line
The webinar aims to clarify where silver reduction is technically viable without compromising automotive-grade reliability, comparing voiding behavior, crack propagation, temperature-cycling performance, and other tests across the evaluated alloys and substrate technologies. Registration for the September 15 session at 9:30 am EDT remains open.
