Control of the sintering of powdered metals

In a process for fabricating a multilayer ceramic substrate wherein individual layers of ceramic substrate having a metal pattern bonded thereto are subjected to sintering resulting in the densification of the metal contained in the metal pattern and the curing of the ceramic substrate, the temperature at which the metal undergoes densification being different from the temperature at which the ceramic substrate undergoes curing, the improvement which comprises causing the densification temperature of the metal contained in the metal pattern to be closer to or identical with the curing temperature of the ceramic substrate by adding to said metal prior to sintering an amount of organometallic compound which undergoes decomposition before the densification temperature of the metal has been reached to provide under the sintering conditions employed a densification temperature-modifying amount of a free metal or metal oxide, the metal component of which can be the same as or different from the metal contained in the metal pattern.

An uncured substrate having a non-densified metal member bonded thereto which is especially adapted to be sintered wherein said metal member contains an amount of organometallic compound which will undergo decomposition under sintering conditions and before the densification temperature of the metal member has been reached to provide a densification temperature-modifying amount of a metal or metal oxide which is the same as or different from the metal of the metal member.

In a process for sintering a metal member bonded to a substrate during which the metal member undergoes densification at a temperature which is different from the curing temperature of the substrate, the improvement which comprises causing the densification temperature of the metal member to be closer to or identical with the curing temperature of the substrate by adding to said metal member prior to sintering a densification temperature-modifying amount of a metal oxide which can be the same as or different from the metal of the aforesaid metal member.

In a process for fabricating a multilayer ceramic substrate wherein individual layers of ceramic substrate having a metal pattern bonded thereto are subjected to sintering resulting in the densification of the metal contained in the metal pattern and the curing of the ceramic substrate, the temperature at which the metal undergoes densification being different from the temperature at which the ceramic substrate undergoes curing, the improvement which comprises causing the densification temperature of the metal contained in the metal pattern to be closer to or identical with the curing temperature of the ceramic substrate by adding to said metal prior to sintering a densification temperature-modifying amount of a metal oxide, the metal component of which can be the same as or different from the metal contained in the metal pattern.

An uncured substrate having a non-densified metal member bonded thereto which is especially adapted to be sintered wherein said metal member contains a densification temperature-modifying amount of a metal or metal oxide which is the same as or different from the metal of the metal member.