Dissolution and reprecipitation of silver in sintering silver-glass dispersions

• Applicants: Dr. Stefan Körner; Dr. Ralf Müller
• Subject Area: Thermodynamics and Kinetics as well as Properties of Phases and Microstructure of Materials ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 382899794

Electric contacts based on silver-glass dispersions are key components in optoelectronic microsystems and control modules for medical, information & communication and energy technology in our networked society. Driven by the complexity of modern production processes and ever shorter time-to-market requirements, the fast and specific development of tailored silver-glass dispersions has become a bottleneck of technology development.Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of silver dissolution, transport, and reprecipitation, and the resulting micro structure evolution during firing are poorly understood. The broad literature on the precipitation of colloidal silver particles and the related processes of silver dissolution and diffusion mostly refer to very small volume fractions of silver. Transferring these results to the sintering of glass-containing silver dispersions, is therefore highly questionable. In this case, silver dissolution, electrical contact between silver particles, transport and reprecipitation take place under special conditions. This includes short diffusion lengths (particle size < 10 µm), the presence of three-phase contacts silver - glass - sintering atmosphere, as well as silver reprecipitation at the sintering contacts as the driving force of silver transport. Here, a dynamic balance of the silver concentration can be expected to result from the ratio between silver dissolution and reprecipitation. The aim of the project is to gain basic insight into the mechanisms of dissolution, transport and reprecipitation of silver in sintering silver-glass dispersions. In this context, the main focus is on gaining basic knowledge about the dissolution of metallic silver in low melting oxide glasses as the limiting factor of the sintering of silver-glass composites. In particular, we will strive to gain insight into the effect of the oxygen content of the sintering atmosphere, of the oxygen dissolved in the silver particles, of silver oxide on the surface of the silver powder, of the electric contact between the silver particles, as well as the basicity of the glass. Furthermore, we strive for insights into the silver mobility and the silver concentration that can be attained (silver solubility) in oxide glasses with a low melting point. Summing up all these aspects, a closed explanatory model for silver dissolution, transport and reprecipitation during the sintering of glass-silver dispersions will be introduced.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr.-Ing. Joachim Deubener; Professor Dr. Dominique de Ligny