THICK-FILM RESISTOR DIELECTRIC INTERACTIONS IN A LOW-TEMPERATURE COFIRED CERAMIC PACKAGE

Various commercial thick-film resistors are processed with a low tempe rature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) packaging material. The electrical prop erties and microstructure of the resistors are correlated. Three types of resistor/dielectric interfaces are observed. The interactions that occur between the resistor and the dielectric during the co-sintering process are affected by the physical and chemical properties of the g lass phase of the resistor material. These interactions between the re sistor and the dielectric are kinetically controlled by glass how at t he sintering temperature and thermodynamically driven by the activity gradients between components in the glass phases. The effect of these interactions on the sheet resistance and temperature coefficient of re sistance of the resistor materials are discussed.