Multilayer ceramic devices based on low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) materials provide a very promising technology. Most LTCC tapes available today contain considerable fractions of glass powders to lower the sintering temperature. However, the glassy phases offer more possibilities to set a proper sintering behavior, on the one hand, and to tailor the desired properties of the final LTCC substrate, on the other. The exploitation of demixing and subsequent crystallizing glass compositions was shown on an example of a low-permittivity (4.4)low-loss (1.5 × 103) LTCC with a high quartz content. In another LTCC material, undesired demixing could be restricted and the crystal phase anorthite could be triggered by partial dissolution of alumina in the liquid phase during sintering. To estimate the effect of silver diffusion in the latter material, the surroundings of a pure silver via were studied. A silver-contaminated range of 50 µm was detected. Using model glasses containing silver oxide, a strong influence of dissolved silver on viscosity and crystallization behavior of the liquid phase was demonstrated. The dielectric properties of the sintered substrates were not degraded.
Silver in LTCC - Interfacial reactions, transport processes and influence on properties of ceramics
(2009)
Sintering of LTCC
(2008)
Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic materials (LTCC) have attracted growing interest in recent years since they are promising candidates for highly integrated ceramic packaging. This paper surveys materials concepts of related glass ceramic composites (GCC) and discusses unsolved problems and challenges. The densification of GCC based on "viscous sintering" may be affected by steric effects and partial dissolution of dispersed crystal particles, crystallization and phase boundary reactions.
The sintering behavior of sub-micron Ni0.30Cu0.20Zn0.52Fe1.98O3.99 ferrite with and without Bi2O3 addition was studied. Ferrites with 0.5 wt% Bi2O3 exhibit enhanced shrinkage at T < 900 °C with significant grain growth. Additive-free ferrite powders also sinter to high density at 900 °C, however, grain growth is very limited. Both ferrites exhibit a permeability of µ = 400–450. Multilayers consisting of ferrite and low-k dielectric LTCC layers were prepared by co-firing at 900–915 °C. The shrinkage and thermal expansion characteristics of ferrite and LTCC tapes are similar. However, the permeability of integrated ferrite layers, made from ferrite tapes with Bi2O3 additive, significantly drops after co-firing with LTCC layers compared to separately fired monolithic ferrite multilayers. Contrarily, the permeability of integrated, Bi2O3-free ferrite layers, co-fired with dielectric tapes, is identical to that of monolithic ferrite multilayers. This finding is an important step toward ferrite integration into complex LTCC multilayer architectures.