Preparation and rheological behavior of lead free silver conducting paste

The lead free silver conducting pastes were prepared by using silver powder, lead free low-melting glass and terpineol ethyl cellulose solution. By analyzing the sheet resistance, Vickers hardness as well as the adhesion strength of the fired film by the pastes formulated with different content of the glass, the desired glass weight percentage was determined as 4–6 wt%. The films, prepared by the pastes using the lead free glass with a glass transition temperature of 488 °C, were perfectly flat and compact after fired at a peak temperature within the range from 540 °C to 590 °C. The sheet resistance of the fired film with glass content of 5 wt% was 2.3 × 10−3 Ω mm−2 at the thickness of 15 ± 3 μm, while the Vickers hardness was 61 MPa, and the adhesion strength was 28.5 MPa. In addition, the rheological, thixotropic, and viscoelasticity behaviors of the typical paste characterized by using an ARES (RFS-III) rheometer, were similar to that of the screen printing paste with high solid filler. The pastes are applicable for manufacturing electrical components on glass substrate.