ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years, thick-film materials have been used to manufacture an increasing variety of resistor networks, hybrid integrated circuits, hybrid integrated networks, and discrete components, such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Although many factors have contributed to the rapid and sustained growth of thick-film technology in electronics applications, advances in thick-film materials and processing have been essential. This chapter reviews some of these important advances for microcircuit applications with sections covering resistors, conductors, dielectrics, and the organic vehicles required to make the compositions printable. Thick-film microcircuits provide an enormous range of functionality in relatively small package sizes, particularly compared with printed circuit boards containing discrete components. Thick-film compositions contain many components, and their development requires an understanding of the interaction of these components during the firing process.
