Thick films of ceramic, superconducting, and electro-ceramic materials

The use of thick films becomes more and more important in particular for electronic and microelectronic applications. The term "thick film" does not relate so much to the thickness of the film but more to the kind of deposition. Thick films are made by low-priced processes such as doctor (dr) blading, screen-printing, or spraying methods, etc. The preparation of thick films of ceramic material by these methods generally implies a processing sequence of the following steps: preparation of the oxide powders; preparation of pastes and slurries; painting/printing, etc. of the pastes onto a suitable substrate; drying at low temperature; and sintering at high temperature to get a consolidated layer. These technologies and the fabricated thick films of thermoresistive and superconducting materials will be discussed.