Copper powders methods for producing powders and devices fabricated from same
AssigneeCabot Corporation
InventorsToivo T. Kodas, Mark J. Hampden-Smith, James Caruso, Daniel J. Skamser, Quint H. Powell, Clive D. Chandler
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Abstract
Copper metal powders, methods for producing copper metal powders and products incorporating the powders. The copper metal powders have a small particle size, narrow size distribution and a spherical morphology. The method includes forming the metal particles in a continuous manner.
Claims126
A powder batch comprising copper metal particles, wherein said metal particles are substantially spherical, have a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and a particle size distribution wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said metal particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A powder batch comprising copper metal particles, wherein said metal particles comprise at least about 50 weight percent copper metal wherein said metal particles are substantially spherical, have a weight average particle size of from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm and a particle size distribution wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than 1.5 times said average particle size and wherein said metal particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A powder batch comprising metal alloy particles, wherein said metal alloy particles comprise at least about 50 weight percent copper metal and at least a first metal alloying element, and wherein said metal alloy particles are substantially spherical, have a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A powder batch comprising coated copper metal particles, said coated metal particles comprising at least about 50 weight percent copper metal and having a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and wherein said particles comprise at least a first coating substantially encapsulating an outer surface of said particles and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A powder batch comprising metal composite particles, wherein said composite particles have a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and a particle size distribution wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size, wherein said particles include a metal phase comprising copper metal and at least a first non-metallic phase and wherein said particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A powder batch comprising metal composite particles, said composite particles having a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm, wherein said composite particles include a metal phase comprising copper metal and at least a first non-metallic phase comprising a ceramic dielectric compound and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A thick-film paste composition suitable for screen printing onto a substrate, comprising:
- a) a binder phase;
- b) an organic vehicle phase;
- and
- c) a functional phase, said functional phase comprising copper metal particles, wherein said copper metal particles are substantially spherical, have a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size.
A thick-film paste composition suitable for screen printing onto a substrate, comprising:
- a) a binder phase;
- b) an organic vehicle phase;
- and
- c) a functional phase, said functional phase comprising composite copper metal particles having a weight average particle size not greater than about 5 μm, said composite particles including a metal phase comprising copper metal and at least a first non-metallic phase and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said particles comprise metal crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
A green body suitable for sintering to form a multilayer ceramic capacitor, comprising:
- a) a plurality of stacked green sheets comprising a dielectric ceramic material;
- and
- b) a thick film paste composition disposed between said sheets, wherein said thick film paste composition comprises a binder phase, an organic vehicle phase and a functional phase and wherein said functional phase comprises copper metal particles having a substantially spherical shape and having a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers and wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size.
An intermediate component for a microelectronic device, wherein said component comprises an insulative substrate and a thick film paste disposed on said substrate, said thick film paste comprising copper metal particles having a weight average particle size of not greater than about 5 μm and a particle size distribution wherein at least about 90 weight percent of said particles are not larger than twice said average particle size and wherein said copper metal particles comprise crystallites having an average crystallite size of at least about 40 nanometers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.