The Effect of Particle Size Distribution of Metallic Powder on the Conductivity of Thermosetting Conductive Paste

Using spherical Ag-Cu gradient powder (AMG), the effects of particle size and distribution on the conductivity of polymer thick film (PTF) are studied. PTF is formed by curing thermosetting conductive paste composed of AMG, resin and solvent. The experimental results are as follows;(1) The cured film containing many fine particles shows high conductivity.(2) The cured film containing the narrow range of the particle size shows high conductivity. The packing density of the particles is estimated by computer simulation using randomly packed model. As the result, the packing model formed by the simulation is related well to the conductivity of PTF at the thickness range of 25-30μm.