Effect of Glass Additions on the Adhesion and Electrical Conductivity of Photoimageable Silver Paste

Anorthite forming glass frits in amounts up to 25 vol% of the silver powder were added to improve the adhesion between the conductor pattern formed by thick film photoimageable process and the low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) substrate. The sheet resistance of the conductor pattern was raised from 0.13 mΩ/□ to 2.25mΩ/□ as the volume percentage of glass frit increased up to 25 vol%. The adhesion strength was improved with this glass frit increase, but it decreased when the glass content exceeded 20 vol% which are possibly attributed to the liquid pool effect and the reduced fracture toughness in the interface between conductor and LTCC layer. The shrinkage of the width of the conductor pattern decreased with the addition of glass contents.