Development of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) Coatings for Electrical Conductor Wires

Dip coating was employed to apply low temperature co-firing ceramic (LTCC) zinc molybdate coatings to the surfaces of Ni-coated Cu conductor wires. Zinc molybdate ceramic powders were synthesized via a solid state route; ceramic suspensions for dip coating were prepared by mixing the LTCC powders in an organic solution. By optimizing the dip coating parameters and subsequent heat treatment, ceramic films, with a typical insulation thickness of 47.3 mu m and dielectric strength of 24.2 kV.mm(-1), were formed on the surfaces of Ni test discs. The processing parameters were transferrable to the coating of Ni-coated Cu wires; the resulting wires exhibited an insulation thickness of 40.3 mu m and breakdown voltage of 798 V.