Effect of Particle Size on Sintering Characteristic of Cu Powder for Termination Electrode of MLCC

The characteristics of Cu powder used for the fabrication of termination electrodes of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors (MLCCs) was evaluated. The effects of particle diameter on the sintering characteristics of Cu powder for use as electrode films were studied. A high tapping density was obtained for all pulverized Cu powders with average particle diameter of 0.5 mu m, 1.0 mu m and 5.0 mu m. The experimental results revealed that pulverized Cu powders were homogeneously dispersed in the paste. From shrinkage measurements in Cu electrode films with thickness of approximately 200 mu m, which were formed by an applicator and sintered at temperatures from 650 deg C to 850 deg C, it was observed that films composed of 0.5 mu m and 1.0 mu m Cu powders showed a larger shrinkage than that from 5.0 mu m Cu powder. A similar result has been observed for the microstructure of sintered electrode films.