Thin Glass Film Between Ultrafine Conductor Particles In Thick-Film Resistors

Thick-film resistors are electrical composites comtaining ultrafine particles of ruthenate conductor (Pb2Ru2O7 in the present materials) distributed in a highly modified silicate glass. This article shows that conductor particles remain flocced in the absence of any applied or capiliary pressures, but are separated at equilibrium by a nanometer-thick film of glass. Microstructures show evidence for liquid-phase sintering, i.e., contact flattening of particles, under van der Waals attraction alone.