Microelectronic resistor

Equally important as tape casting in the fabrication of multilayer ceramics is thick film processing. Thick film technology is widely used in microelectronics for resistor networks, hybrid integrated circuitry, and discrete components, such as capacitors and inductors along with metallization of MLC capacitors and packages as mentioned above. 

H. T. Sa whill and co-workers, "Low Temperature Co-Firable Ceramics with Co-Fired Resistors," International Society of Hybrid Microelectronics Proceedings, 1986, pp. 473—480. 

When microelectronics and solid state devices developed over the last five to four decades, the development of solid-state sensors followed suit, resulting in the introduction of NTC and PTC resistors to monitor temperature, and first Reed relais and inductive sensors to determine position and distance, or tachometers for rotational measurements in washing machines and dish washers over the past two decades. 

The special properties of nanomaterials, such as those currently used as the conductive "pigment" in conductive inkjet inks, will be exploited more and more in advanced second-generation products. New inks will be developed to print additional electronic functionalities such as resistors, capacitors, and semiconductors, thereby enabling inkjet printing of complete electronic components and devices. Inkjet s capability to layer materials and build 3D structures will be further developed for microelectronics applications. These efforts have already been initiated in universities, research institutes, and commercial entities — in the large established ink companies as well as smaller startups financed by joint VC and government funding. 

Microelectronic technology is based on imearated circuits (IC s). These are assemblies containing thousaiuls or millions of microscopic-size electronic components—resistors, capiieilors, diodes, transistors -and their interconnections Imilt into a chip of semicomliiitoi (in most cases, silicon) called the... 

Jevtic, M.M. et al. 1999. Thick-film resistor quality indicator based on noise index measurements. Microelectronics Journal, 30, pp. 1255-1259. 

Rocak, D. et al. 2001. Low-frequency noise of thick-film resistors as quality and reliability indicator. Microelectronics Reliability 41 (4) 531-542. 

The original intent of this project was to identify and/or perfect vendor-supplied, state-of-the-art hydro-phobic polymer sealants, such that the end product could meet military criteria for hermeticity in hybrid microelectronic devices. Solubility and diffusivity constants and permeabilities for several types of hydrophobic polymers were determined. Data from the laboratory and theory from literature both indicate that moisture impermeable polymers are not attainable, at least to meet military standards. The project objective was then redirected towards finding a means of passivating the surface of a microelectronic device against moisture. It was found that interface modification, i.e., passivation of the chemically reactive surface species, provides significant protection in high temperature and humidity environments. Plasma polymerization of hexamethyIdi-silazane (HMDS) afforded phenomenal protection to moisture sensitive thin film nichrome resistors even under the most severe test conditions. 

While microelectronics can be described as the fabrication of electrical components like transistors, diodes, resistors and capacitors on a semiconductor substrate, mostly silicon, MEMS and MOEMS are using the manufacturing technologies of microelectronics to fabricate mechanical and optical structures as well as sensing or actuating devices. Typical examples are pressure sensors, microphones, acceleration and angular-rate sensors, magnetic compasses, inkjet heads, micro-scanners, micro-fluidic devices, biosensors, etc., to name some. 

Thin films were first used for decorative purposes. In the seventh century, artists learned how to paint a pattern on a ceramic object with a silver salt solution and then heat the painted object to decompose the salt, leaving a thin film of metallic silver. Thin films are used today for decorative or protective purposes to form conductors, resistors, and other types of films in microelectronic circuits to form photovoltaic devices for conversion of solar energy to electricity and for many other applications (Figure 12.31 ). A thin film might be made of any kind of material, including metals, metal oxides, or organic substances. 

The term thick film (T-F) technology is accepted to mean that field of microelectronics in which specially-formed pastes are applied and fired on to a ceramic substrate in a defined pattern and sequence to produce a set of individual components such as resistors and capacitors, or a complete functional circuit (19). Figure 11.3 shows a flow diagram of a standard thick film process. 

More than any other development, laser trimming has contributed to the rapid growth of the hybrid microelectronics industry over the past few years. Once it became possible to trim resistors to precision... 

Borland, W. and Felten, Thick film capacitors and resistors inside printed wiring boards, 34th International Symposium on Microelectronics (IMAPS), Baltimore, MD, Jime 2001, pp. 452-457. 

Wang, G., Barlow, F.D., and Elshabini, A., Simulation, characterization and design of embedded resistors in LTCC for high frequency applications, 2002 Proceedings of the International Symposium on Microelectronics, Denver, CO, September 4r-6, 2002. 

Gangqiang, W., Rajagopalan, V., Barlow, F., Elshabini, A., and Ang, S., Effect of design and processing parameters on buried resistors in LTCC systems, 2001 Proceedings of the International Symposium on Microelectronics, Baltimore, MD, October 2001. 

Resistors are widely used in microelectronic circuits. To allow a broad range of applications, printed resistors should exhibit the following properties ... 

Driie, K.-H. and Thust, H., RF-behavior of printed resistors in the frequency range up to 6 GHz, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Microelectronics... 

Electronic devices are made of active components such as transistors and passive components such as capacitors and resistors. Prior to the birth of the microelectronics industry, these components were manufactured separately and connected together by ordinary insulated wire to form an electronic device. That obsolete approach has been replaced by electronic packaging Nhich. means the production and assembly of a large number of minute and complex elec-... 

Table 15.1 provides definitions of microelectronic components. The main cost of a microelectronic component is determined by the area of silicon occupied. Passive components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors are hard to shrink despite teehnological progress to miniaturize them. The more effective strategy has been to replace the passive components with active transistors that are now used for almost all functions. Effort has been focused on the miniaturization of transistors. 

R. G. Pond, C. J. Sabo, W. A. Vitriol, and R. L. Brown, Processing and Reliability of Resistors Incorporated Within Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic Structirres, Proc. 1986 Int. Symp. on Microelectronics, 1986, pp. 461-472. 

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