Screen-printed thick-films: From materials to functional devices

• Published in: Journal of the European Ceramic Society 2005, Vol.25 (12), p.2105-2113
• Main Authors: Ménil, Francis, Debéda, Hélène, Lucat, Claude
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building materials. Ceramics. Glasses; Ceramic industries; Chemical industry and chemicals; Conductors, resistors (including thermistors, varistors, and photoresistors); Electronic equipment and fabrication. Passive components, printed wiring boards, connectics; Electronics; Electrotechnical and electronic ceramics; Exact sciences and technology; Functional application; General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Physics; Sensors; Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing; Technical ceramics; Varistors
• ISSN: 0955-2219; 1873-619X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2005.03.017

The aim of the present paper is to demonstrate that the existence of a bulky sintered material, with the required properties for a potential application (called hereafter active material), does not necessarily mean a straightforward manufacturing of a corresponding functional planar thick-film device with the required properties. Many problems have to be solved at the level of each element of the micro-assembly, namely the substrate, the electrodes, the heating resistor, and of course the active material. Moreover, for a reliability approach, physico-chemical interactions in the whole micro-assembly have to be considered. Examples drawn from our own experience in the area, deal with super-thick copper pads, varistors, PZT-based pyroelectric sensors, semiconductor oxide gas sensors, zirconia oxygen sensors ….