Effect of the Oxide Glass on the Metal Sintering Behavior in Silver Thick-Film System

The sintering behavior of silver-oxide glass composite thick-film has been studied with varing glass content. It is shown that during heat treatment glass became liquid phase to deeply affect the microstructure development of the silver particles and to control the physical properties of the thick-films. As glass content increased, the initial repacking of silver particles took place rapidly but the homogeneities of the microstructure showed different features. When the glass content was over some range, the silver particles exuded glass to decrease net energy and glass formed liquid pools separated from the solid skeletons. Finally the relations between the microstructures and electrical properties of the thick-film were discussed.