Fabrication and performance of dielectric tape based on CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass/Al2O3 for LTCC applications

A non-aqueous tape-casting process for fabricating CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass/Al2O3 dielectric tape for LTCC applications was investigated. An isopropanol/ethanol/xylene ternary solvent-based slurry was developed by using castor oil, poly(vinyl butyral), and dibutyl phthalate as dispersant, binder, and plasticizer, respectively. The effects of dispersant concentration, binder content, plasticizer/binder ratio, and solid loading, on the properties of the casting slurry and resultant tape were systematically investigated. The results showed that the optimal values for the dispersant and binder contents, plasticizer/binder ratio, and solid loading were 2.0 wt%, 7.5 wt%, 0.6, and 62 wt%, respectively. The resultant flexible and uniform, 120-mu m-thick CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass/Al2O3 tape had a density of 1.90 g/cm(-3), tensile strength of 1.66 MPa, and average surface roughness of 310 nm. Laminated tapes sintered at 875 degrees C for 15 min exhibited excellent properties: relative density of 97.3%, epsilon(r) of 7.98, tan delta of 1.3 x 10(-3) (10 MHz), flexural strength of 205 MPa, and thermal expansion coefficient of 5.47 ppm/degrees C. The material demonstrated good chemical compatibility with Ag electrodes, indicating a significant potential in LTCC applications.