Effects of Particle Size on Sintering and Electrical Characteristics of Ni Powder for Internal Electrode of MLC

Abstract

We evaluated the characteristics of Ni powder used in the fabrication of internal electrodes of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors (MLCs). The effects of particle diameter on the sintering characteristics of Ni powder for use as electrode films were studied. A high tapping density was obtained for all pulverized Ni powders with on average particle diameter of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4μm. The experimental results revealed that pulverized Ni powders were homogeneously dispersed in the paste. From shrinkage measurements in Ni electrode films with thickness of approximately 200μm, which were formed by an applicator and sintered at temperatures from 400 to 1000°C, it was observed that films composed of 0.1μm and 0.2μm Ni powders showed a larger shrinkage than that from 0.4μm Ni powder. A similar result has been observed for the microstructure of sintered electrode films.