Microstructure for Printed Multilayer LTCC Tape of Different Paste Rheology

Screen printing is the most common method of transferring silver thick film paste to a low temperature co-fired ceramic tape. Silver paste with varying rheology will have a varying print quality. The effect of silver paste rheology on the microstructure is investigated. Although there are many parameters to be considered, this parameter is a critical parameter which will control the line width and roughness on the substrate. To study the effect of paste rheology, a test pattern design was printed on the Heraeus CT2000 LTCC tape using silver paste. Then the LTCC tape was stacked and laminated at pressure of 28 MPa and temperature of 65 oC for 10 minutes. The laminated sample then was fired up to 850 oC. The fired silver conductor printed on the LTCC tape then was analyzed. Prints were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that silver paste with high viscosity produce a good microstructure.