Study of New Nitrogen-Fireable Copper-Nickel Thick Film Paste Formulation Compatible with Thick Printed Copper

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Conventional ruthenium-based pastes require air firing.
• Developing low-ohmic resistors for power applications is crucial.
• Thick film technology offers cost-effective integration of electronic components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel copper-nickel thick film resistive paste.
• To enable nitrogen atmosphere firing for thick film resistors.
• To create low-ohmic power resistors compatible with copper conductors.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of copper-nickel paste using microparticles and glass binder.
• Simultaneous thermal analysis for property verification.
• Electron microscopy with element distribution analysis for film morphology.
• Electrical characterization of printed resistors.

Main Results:

• Homogeneous copper-nickel alloy films formed after firing.
• Achieved low sheet resistance of 45 mΩ/square.
• Obtained a low temperature coefficient of resistance of ±45 × 10^-6 K^-1.
• Verified nitrogen-fireability and compatibility with copper conductors.

Conclusions:

• The developed copper-nickel paste is suitable for nitrogen atmosphere firing.
• This paste enables the fabrication of low-ohmic power resistors.
• The technology facilitates the creation of power substrates with integrated resistors.