Effects of Pb–B–Si–O glass on the microstructures and electrical properties of silver electrode for LTCC application

The co-firing compatibility between green tape and the Ag electrode is a crucial characteristic in low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology and plays a vital role in improving the performance and application status of LTCC device modules. In this work, we studied the effects of lead content on the glass viscosity, the microstructure, and co-firing compatibility of silver electrode film. It was found that the softening point and viscosity of the glass were decreased, and the wettability between the glass and silver was improved with the increase of the lead content, which promoted the co-firing densification and interfacial bonding between the silver electrode film and the ceramic layer. The film presented the best electrical properties co-firing at 875 °C for 15 min, with the resistivity of 1.21 mΩ/sq. And the film was densified. The sintering interface was clear and well bonded. The results showed that an appropriate lead content in glass could effectively improve the interfacial bonding and the electrical properties during co-fired process, providing a new control methodology for realizing co-fired matching of the silver electrode film with low-temperature co-fired ceramics.