Resistor material, resistor made therefrom and method of making the same

An electrical resistor comprising a substrate of an electrical insulating material and a resistor layer on a surface of said substrate, said resistor layer being formed by

• blending together a glass frit and a mixture of zinc oxide and an additive material providing a metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, tin, nickel, aluminum, indium, titanium, tantalum, zinc, gallium, vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum, the amount of additive material in the mixture providing up to 5 atomic percent of the metal, the zinc oxide and additive material being present in the amount of 40% to 85% by volume,
• coating said material on the surface of the substrate,
• firing said coated substrate in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature at which the glass frit melts, and then
• cooling the coated substrate to provide a resistive layer of glass bonded to the substrate and having conductive particles of zinc oxide and resultant additive material embedded in and dispersed throughout the glass.

A method of making an electrical resistor comprising the steps of

• forming a conductive phase by mixing together zinc oxide and an additive material providing a metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, tin, nickel, aluminum indium, titanium, tantalum, zinc, gallium, vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum, the amount of additive material in the conductive phase providing up to 5 atomic percent of the metal, the zinc oxide and additive material being present in the amount of 40% and 85% by volume,
• mixing the conductive phase with a glass frit,
• coating the mixture of the conductive phase and glass frit onto the surface of a substrate of an electrical insulating material,
• firing said coated substrate in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature at which the glass frit melts, and then
• cooling said coated substrate to provide a resistive layer of glass bonded to the substrate and having conductive particles of zinc oxide and resultant additive material embedded in and dispersed throughout the glass.