Development of integrated high value resistors on novel substrates

Development of next generation electronics for pulse discharge systems requires miniaturization and integration of high voltage, high value resistors (greater than 100 megohms) with novel substrate materials. These material advances are needed for improved reliability, robustness and performance. In this study, high sheet resistance inks of 1 megohm per square were evaluated to reduce overall electrical system volume. We investigated a deposition process that permits co-sintering of high-sheet-resistance inks with a variety of different material substrates. Our approach combines the direct write process of aerosol jetting with laser sintering and conventional thermal sintering processes. One advantage of aerosol jetting is that high quality, fine line depositions can be achieved on a wide variety of substrates. When combined with laser sintering, the aerosol jetting approach has the capability to deposit resistors at any location on a substrate and to additively trim the resistors to specific values. We have demonstrated a 400 times reduction in overall resistor volume compared to commercial chip resistors using the above process techniques. Resistors that exhibited this volumetric efficiency were fabricated by 850 C thermal processing on alumina substrates and by 0.1W laser sintering on Kapton substrates.