JP2967066B2 - Thick film resistance - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to thick film resistors used in hybrid electronic circuits. In particular, the present invention facilitates increasing the packing density of the resistors so that the different resistance values of the resistors formed in the same resistor configuration can be easily adjusted while forming each portion of the resistors in substantially the same shape and size. It relates to an improved thick film resistor configuration that can be obtained.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Thick film resistance is about 0.1 W to about 10 M.
It is used in hybrid electronic circuits to provide a wide range of resistance values within approximately the range of W. Such ranges are typically found in organic vehicles (organic vehicles).
cle), printed on a ceramic substrate using a thick film paste or ink consisting of glass frit composition, conductive material, and various additives used to favor the final electrical properties of the resistor. Thick film conductors are used to terminate the resistance of the hybrid circuit and are typically formed prior to printing the resistive ink such that portions of the resistive ink overlap portions of the conductor. After printing, the resistive ink is dried and then sintered or fired to transform the ink into a suitable resistive film that adheres to the ceramic substrate and the lower end of the conductor. After firing, partial variations in resistance values occur during printing of the resistive ink as a result of the difficulty in achieving a uniform and uniform film thickness. Thus, thick film resistors are typically printed to obtain a conservatively low resistance value and then trimmed to increase the resistance value to the resistance required by those circuits. Trimming is often followed by the use of polishing or laser techniques to form cuts into thick film resistors that increase the effective electrical length of the resistor and result in a corresponding increase in electrical resistance.

[0003] Thick film resistors typically have one of two basic forms. The first is a of FIG. 1A to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the second form uses a rectangular resistive film between the parallel conductors, and is known as a “top hat” shape, in which the resistive film disposed between the conductors is located on the side from the rectangular base region. And a resistive film region protruding in the direction. The former configuration is more widely used, while the top hat configuration is advantageous when a large trimming range is required.

[0004]

In theory, using a single ink composition to create all of the resistors in a given circuit by forming the resistors to have the appropriate length would not be possible. it can. However, stringent space and dimensional constraints typically dictate the use of different ink compositions within a given circuit. For this purpose, the ink may be from about 1 ohm per square (per 25 micrometers of dry thickness) (W /) to about 10 megaohm per square (MW /).
Are commercially available in a composition system called a terminating member that is stylized to create a resistor having a sheet resistivity (R _s ) at a value of 10 units. Compositions having values separated by 10 are referred to as adjacent terminating members, which are mixed to produce intermediate resistance values. During sintering, the resistive ink is heated at a slow enough rate to promote stability of the resistor and burn out the organic vehicle of the ink. Both physical and chemical changes occur inside the thick film during sintering, thereby forming a current carrying network or microstructure of the resistor. To achieve certain desired resistivity, stability and temperature properties,
Various additives are typically used.

The resistance value of the thick film resistor is theoretically determined by the following equation. That is,

[Number 1] resistance _{(W) = R S × L} / W where, R _S is ohms / square (W /) sheet resistivity of a unit of the ink composition, L is the electrical length of the resistor, and W resistance The electrical width of The length and width dimensions of the resistor determine the surface area or "footprint" required to contain the resistor on the circuit surface. The above equation has been used previously to design thick film resistors for hybrid circuits, where the length (L) of the resistor is often the final design characteristic that has been manipulated to obtain a target resistance value for the resistor in the circuit. It is. In practice, the behavior defined by the above equation is not ideal, and the fired thick film resistor has a resistance that can be significantly different from the resistance expected by the equation. As a result of the printing process, in addition to the change in resistance described above, the area resistance of the resistor is generally the length of the resistor, and a thick film conductor containing silver is used to terminate the resistor on the circuit. As time goes on, it decreases as it decreases due to metal ion diffusion into the resistor during firing. The diffusion effect of the conductor on the sheet resistivity can be significant, resulting in a "non-uniform" resistance whose resistance is lower than that required by the hybrid electronics. As a result, resistor trimming must be performed to compensate for the lower resistance values caused by conductor diffusion during firing.

[0006] Although a final resistance value of about ± 1% can be achieved using polishing or laser trimming techniques, additional processing steps are often undesirable in terms of production cost and throughput. Further, the degree to which the resistance of the resistor can be corrected by trimming alone is complicated by the non-linear relationship between cut length and change in resistance,
As a result, particularly if relatively long cuts are required, values outside the specified range may be inadvertently obtained, resulting in scrapping of the circuit. An additional complication resulting from relatively long trim cuts is the instability of the resistor during operation, which has been associated with material interactions that occur between the resistor and the underlying dielectric during trimming.
As a result, the ability to improve trimming accuracy or reduce or eliminate the need for trimming will enhance circuit reliability or increase production rates.

Another aspect of thick film resistor design is desirable to maximize the packing density of a resistive circuit or network, where "network" is required for the circuit and intermediate for the resistor. Actual resistance and conductor traces that need to be located nearby, probe pads, wire bond pads, interlayer conductor vias, surface mount devices,
It is considered to include such. Although current resistance printing techniques achieve what is considered to be a high density resistor network, a large portion of the bare substrate is actually always near the resistor. Obvious reasons for the existence of these empty areas are the demands on the definition of printing, the practice of providing a blank area along the edge of the resistor where the trimming cut is initiated, and the resistance within a given network. Includes a wide range of resistor widths and lengths and limitations on resistance balancing requirements. The latter is interposed when it is required to reduce the trim cut length for the resistor and requires changes in the length and / or width of the resistor. To allow such changes to be made after the circuit layout has been determined, the size of the resistors near each resistor should be changed so that the size of the resistors can be changed without affecting the layout of the rest of the circuit. Sufficient substrate area must be provided. Thus, by the inevitable use of resistors having a wide range of shapes and sizes, and the need to allow for additional changes in resistor sizes as dictated by balancing, the optimal packing of thick film circuits is Hardly ever.

In view of the foregoing, one skilled in the art would recognize an improved thick film resistor that would allow the use of approximately the same size resistor portion (ie, a resistor portion having the same footprint) to facilitate higher density packing. Understand the need for form. Further, it would be desirable if the need for trimming under certain circumstances could be completely eliminated and the accuracy of the trimming operation under conditions requiring trimming could be improved. The availability of such resistor configurations allows for further selection of circuit packing for thick film hybrid circuits having multiple thick film resistors when other circuit elements are also present. For example, any number of resistor portions having substantially the same footprint can be formed, and the shape and size of such resistors can be reduced by packing components and resistors together to optimize a given area of the circuit. When they do, they are tailored to allow for more flexibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a thick-film resistor configuration that facilitates higher-density resistor packing of a thick-film hybrid circuit, while at the same time achieving the required electrical resistance of the thick-film resistor. It is in. Another object of the invention is
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a thick film resistor having such a configuration. It is yet another object of the present invention that such resistive features and methods reduce and possibly eliminate the need for trimming. It is a further object of the present invention that the resistor configuration allows the thick film resistor of a given circuit to be made from the same ink composition. Still another object of the present invention is to provide
Such resistive features allow the use of relatively short trimming cuts and create a more linear relationship between trimming length and resistance value.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a novel thick film resistor configuration and a method of manufacturing a thick film resistor capable of processing such a resistor to obtain a targeted electrical resistance. In particular, aspects and methods of the present invention include generating a thick film resistor for a hybrid circuit, wherein the resistors of a given resistor network can be formed from the same resistive elements and have substantially the same footprint. And the resistance may differ by a ratio of 20: 1 or more. The resistors are characterized in that their difference in resistance is achieved by appropriate modifications to the conductor configuration. As a result, standard resistor sizes can be used for a given resistor network, which allows for optimal resistor packing for the network, which is the length of the resistor for resistance balancing. And no further correction in width is required.

The present invention further provides a conductor configuration that achieves a higher but more constant change in resistance associated with trim cut length by concentrating current at the intended trim start location. The result is a relatively short and more accurate trim cut, which significantly increases the speed and accuracy of the trimming process. Yet another consequence is reduced scraping due to excessively long cuts and resistance instability, which is more likely to occur when relatively long trim cuts are required. As a result, circuits using thick film resistors constructed and manufactured according to the present invention are characterized by enhanced productivity, reproducibility and reliability.

In general, a thick film resistor constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a pair of conductors having terminal portions that overlap (ie, overlap on the top or overlap on the bottom) the resistor portion. This resistor portion features a footprint that can be substantially the same as the footprint of other thick film resistors of the same hybrid circuit. "Footprint" used in the text
Refers to the surface area required to accommodate the resistor as indicated by the size and shape of the resistor (eg, its external dimensions and shape). Terminating portions of the conductor are disposed on opposite edges of the resistive portion so as to be electrically interconnected via the resistive portion. Thus, the terminating portion secures a current path therebetween through the resistor portion, and thus establishes a resistance value for the thick film resistor.

According to the present invention, the current path of the thick film resistor is:
Its termination portion having a shape and / or size that is different from the shape and / or size of the other resistor exclusively allows it to have a different length than the current path of other thick film resistors on the same circuit. As a result, the resistance of the thick film resistor can be significantly different from the resistance of other resistors in the same circuit, while the resistor has a resistor portion with substantially the same footprint. As a result, higher density packing can be achieved with the present invention, since the placement of resistors and excessive substrate surface space surrounding each resistor is not required to accommodate a network of resistors having a wide range of sizes and shapes. . At the same time, each network uses a different resistive and terminating portion than the resistive and terminating portions of the other resistive network to uniquely accommodate additional circuit elements or other specific circuit requirements. , There may be multiple resistor networks in a single hybrid circuit. Packing of higher density resistors is also not necessary since no extra board space is required around each resistor to allow for possible resistor size changes after circuit layout is completed due to subsequent resistor balancing of the circuit. Promoted.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the terminating portion of the resistor is formed to have mutually tapering opposing tapered edges. Therefore, a current path of the resistor is secured between the tapered edges, and the length of the tapered edge determines the length of the current path and the bundle pattern, which further affects the resistance value of the thick film resistor. Exert. In addition, it has been found that the diverging tapered edge of the termination produces an uneven current density through the resistor. By forming the termination portion and the resistor portion to concentrate the current at the intended trim start position, the ratio between the change in the resistance value and the length of the trim cut made in the resistor portion and the linearity are reduced. , A significant improvement is obtained. As a result, the present invention allows for a relatively short trim cut that precisely trims the resistor, increases the speed at which the trim cut is performed, and leads to greater resistance stability.

[0015]

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are:
It will be better understood from the following detailed description. The above and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 2a-2d, 4a-4d, and 5a-5d illustrate thick film resistors constructed and processed in accordance with the present invention. In contrast, a thick film resistor 10 constructed in accordance with the prior art practices is shown in FIGS. 1a-1d. This prior art resistor 10 is shown to include a pair of parallel conductors 12 extending along opposing edges of a resistive film 14 in which current flows between the conductors 12. In FIG. 1 a, the current path through the resistive film 14 is indicated by a number of substantially parallel flux lines 16. FIG.
1b through 1d show the incremental effect of the longer trim cut 18 on the resistive film 14, especially the relatively large effect that the cut 18 has on the closest flux line 16. FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the effect of the progressively increasing trim cut 18 of the resistor 10 and the resulting resistance.
The “relative resistance value” is the original resistance value of the resistor 10 (a in FIG. 1).
(Corresponding to FIG. 1) (FIG. 1B to FIG. 1)
(Corresponding to d of the above). As shown, the relationship between resistance and trim cut length is not very linear, and the ratio is rather low for relatively short trim lengths of 50% or less. As a result, relatively long cuts are often required, and the accuracy with which the desired resistance value can be obtained is increasingly complicated by the non-linear relationship as longer trim cuts are required. Further complicating this situation is more similar to the instability of resistance as a result of relatively long trim cuts.

FIGS. 2a-2d show a resistor 110 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, thereby achieving an improvement in the resistance trim trim relationship. The resistor 110 includes a pair of conductors 112 and a current
12 and a resistive film 114 flowing between them. Although the conductors 112 are shown to extend substantially co-linearly with each other in a direction across the opposing edges of the resistive film 114, the conductors 112 extend parallel to each other along the opposing edges of the resistive film 114. The gain is also foreseeable. Obviously, the opposing ends of the conductors 112 are tapered to form edges 120 that diverge from each other, ie, diverge in a direction corresponding to a line equidistant from the opposing edges 120. Also, breakage of the resistive film 114 between the conductors 112 is shown. This break forms a short slot 122 that extends to the otherwise rectangularly formed periphery of the resistive film 114. According to the present invention,
The slot 122 is formed outside the rectangular periphery of the resistance film 114 by trim cutting 1 shown in FIGS. 2B to 2D.
Eliminate the requirement to start trim cutting, such as 18.

As in the prior art resistor 10 of FIGS. 1 a-1 d, the current path through the resistive film 114 is indicated by a number of current flux lines 116.
2b-2d show the incremental effect of the longer trim cut 118 in the resistive film 114, with increasing length affecting the length of the current path and thus the resistance of the resistor 110. On the other hand, it has an increasing effect. clearly,
The tapered edge 120 of the conductor 112 changes the flux field through the resistive film 114 to concentrate current near the slot 122 where the trim cut 118 begins. Such an effect on the current density remains irrespective of the length of the cut 118. Furthermore, as schematically illustrated by FIGS. 2a to 2d, the cutting 11
The length of 8 has a significant effect on all flow lines 116, including the flow line furthest from this cut 118. The beneficial results resulting from the above-described attributes are that trim trim 118
The change in the resistance of the resistor 110 with respect to its length is shown in FIG. As can be seen, the resistance ratio for resistor 110 of the present invention is significantly more steady than for resistor 10 of the prior art.

FIG. 3 further shows that the relationship between the resistance value for the resistor 110 and the trim cut length is approximately twice that of the prior art resistor 10 at trim lengths up to about 75%. Is shown. As a result, significantly shorter cuts 118 can be used to achieve the same change in resistance, and a constant resistance to cut length ratio improves the accuracy with which the desired resistance is obtained. An important advantage resulting from this characteristic of the present invention is that resistor 110 of FIGS. 2a-2d is more stable than resistor 10 of FIGS. 1a-1d. Yes, and therefore the allowable range of the subsequent processing is even larger. As a result, the resistance 110
Is very stable as a buried resistor in a multilayer thick film hybrid circuit in which a dielectric layer overlaps with the resistor 110. In such a role, the deposition and firing of the polymerizing dielectric layer has minimal effect on the resistance value of resistor 110 due to the enhanced stability of the resistor configuration of the present invention. In contrast, the resistance of resistor 10 shown in FIGS. 1a-1d can be expected to change significantly during subsequent processing of the multilayer circuit, but this is due to the trimming due to the presence of the dielectric layer. This is an undesired result that cannot be corrected with.

A further advantage of the resistor configuration shown in FIGS. 2a-2d is that the power handling output of the resistor remains relatively constant and the length of trim cut 118 is increased. It can even increase with. In the case of a conventional resistor cutting as shown in FIGS. 1a to 1d,
The resistor portion 14 closest to the cut 18 does not carry a sufficient amount of current, and this area is effectively lost for heat dissipation purposes, resulting in a reduction in power-handling output for the resistor 10. The tapered edge 120 of the conductor 112 shown in FIGS.
As the length of 18 increases, current flows through the increasingly larger region of resistor portion 114, thus significantly reducing such effects. As a result, the power resistance with the tapered conductor according to the present invention is reduced by
And smaller and easier to trim than prior art resistors of the type shown in FIG.

The previous advantage described with respect to the resistive configuration of FIGS. 2a-2d is that the tapered edge 120 of the conductor 112
And the size of the conductor 112 and the orientation with respect to the resistive film 114. Obviously, the resistive film 114,
The portion of each conductor 112, here referred to as terminal 112 a, overlaps so that the size and shape of terminal 112 a directly affects the current path and thus the resistance of resistor 110. Terminal 112a is a resistive film 114
It is further known that a resistive film 114 is deposited after formation of the conductor 112, as defined as portions of the conductor 112 located below the
2a is shown in FIGS. 2a to 2d as a portion of the conductor 112 that overlaps the resistive film 114. FIG.

Thick film resistor 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention
According to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, which show 10, changing only the size of the terminals 212 a of the conductors 212 in each other is not possible in the current path through the resistive film 214 and thus
It can have a significant effect on a resistance value of zero. Again, the resistor portion 214 has a rectangular shape with slots 218 formed to eliminate the prior art requirement of initiating a trim cut (not shown) outside the rectangular pattern of the resistive film 214. Is shown. The conductor 212 is formed as shown in FIG.
D can extend parallel to each other, but are shown to be co-linearly aligned with each other. Finally, the terminals 212a are shown to have different lengths along the opposing edge of the resistive film 214, so that the resistance values of the resistors 210 of FIGS. 4a and 4b are correspondingly different. Will be.

Since FIGS. 4a and 4b are intended to show the use of different conductor configurations, the resistive film 2
The materials used to form 14 are the same. Nevertheless, the resistance for the resistor 210 shown in FIG. 4a is derived from the different lengths of its terminals 212a with respect to the presence of the opposing tapered edge 220 of its corresponding value in FIG. 4b. It was determined experimentally to be approximately half, the effect obtained. Resistive film 214
Is also the same for each resistor 210 and therefore is not a contributing factor in the different resistance values obtained.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show yet another embodiment of the present invention in which the size and shape of the terminal 312a is in the current path through the resistive film 314, and thus the resistive film 314 and the terminal. It has been modified to affect the resistance through thick film resistor 310 formed by 312a. As in the embodiment of FIGS. 4a and 4b, the resistive film 314 is shown having a slot 318, and a pair of conductors 312 forming a terminal 312a include:
Similarly, they can be shown to be parallel to each other, but are shown to be co-linearly aligned with each other. clearly,
Terminal 312a is not shown with opposing tapered edges to eliminate the effect of the diverging terminal on the resistance of resistor 310. Obviously, the trim cut (not shown) is modified with an extension 322 extending from the slot 318, but the resistive membrane 314 also has a rectangular footprint. Extension 322 desirably provides a wide trimmable range for resistor 310.

As in FIGS. 4a and 4b,
5a and 5b are intended to show the effect of different conductor configurations on the same resistance in other ways, ie, the same resistive film material and footprint. Nevertheless, the resistance of resistor 310 in FIG. 5a was experimentally set to be approximately 6/10 of its corresponding resistance in FIG. 5b, which is an effect obtained solely from the different sizes of terminals 312a. Was decided. The footprint of the resistive film 314 is also the same for each resistor 310 terminal and therefore is not a contributing factor in the different resistance values obtained.

In accordance with the present invention, one or more books such as those shown in FIGS. 2a-2d, 4a and 4b, and 5a and 5b. Substantially conventional processing techniques can be used to create a thick film resistor hybrid circuit having a resistor network of thick film resistors constructed in accordance with the invention. Thick film materials for the resistive film and conductor can be selected from commercially available materials. Prior to printing the resistive films and conductors, the present invention predicts the physical dimensions of the resistive films for optimization of the circuit's resistive packing density in light of the generally wide limits established by the targeted resistance values. Make it possible. According to the present invention, it is foreseeable that all the resistors of a given resistive network use resistive films of the same shape and external dimensions and optimized to increase the density of the network. For example, a resistor 110,
Each of the resistive films 114, 214, 314 of 210, 310 may have a rectangular footprint and have the same overall dimensions, even though their specific shapes and conductor patterns may be different. Most obviously, the present invention avoids the conventional requirement of determining a unique aspect ratio (length / width) for each individual resistor in order to approximate the desired resistance value for each resistor after firing. is there. As before, the resistance of each thick film resistor required by the circuit dictates the use of a particular resistive ink composition to provide a suitable initial sheet resistivity.

The next step in constructing the resistor is shown in FIG.
2d and conductor configurations including whether the terminals should be formed with tapered opposing edges as shown by the embodiments of FIGS. 4a and 4b, more precisely Is to determine the shape and size of the conductor terminals. Determining the formation of terminals having opposing tapered shapes can take into account the degree to which trimming is expected to achieve an appropriate resistance balance for the circuit. Any suitable printing process can be used to deposit the thick film resistive material, such as a silk screen printing technique. The resistive film is desirably printed, dried and fired after printing and firing of the conductor so that the resistive film polymerizes and adheres to the conductor and the circuit board.

After firing, a conventional resistance balancing procedure is performed to accurately obtain the resistance value required by the circuit. Importantly, in view of the more linear relationship achieved between the change in resistance and the trim cut length as shown by FIG. 3, trimming a resistor constructed in accordance with the present invention can be made easier. What you can do. Furthermore, the slots formed in the resistive film also facilitate the trimming operation because trim cuts need not be initiated outside the resistive film area.

From the above, the significant advantages of the present invention are:
A hybrid thick film circuit having thick film resistors constructed in accordance with the present invention employs an optimal standard size and shape for each resistive film in a given network, and then uniquely defines the conductor of each resistor. It will be appreciated that dense packing of resistors can be achieved by configuring and approximately obtaining the desired resistance value for each resistor in the circuit. After firing, trimming can be performed for each resistor so as to more precisely obtain a desired target resistance value. Clearly,
It is within the scope of the present invention that different resistance inks can be used, but using the same ink composition for all resistances in the circuit to obtain a wide range of resistance values, typically on the order of about 20: 1 Can be. In some situations, it can be expected that thick film resistors can be created without the need for a post firing trimming operation. Otherwise, significantly less trimming is required and the higher than achieved by the use of tapered terminals to unambiguously configure the conductors for each resistor so that the resistors are within the tolerances allowed by the circuit. It is expected that a small amount of trimming will be required as a result of the ratio of resistance change to cut length. In summary, the present invention provides a novel thick film resistor configuration and a method of making a thick film resistor characterized by enhanced production capacity, reproducibility and reliability.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that other forms can be used by those skilled in the art. For example, materials and resistor configurations different from those described and described herein may also be used, and processing techniques and instructions other than those described herein may be used. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A to 1D are diagrams showing current flux patterns of a thick-film resistor formed according to a conventional technique.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are diagrams showing current flux patterns of thick-film resistors constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between resistance change and trim cut length for the prior art resistor of FIGS. 1a-1d and the inventive resistor of FIGS. 2a-2d. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a thick-film resistor configured according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a thick-film resistor configured according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thick film resistor 12 Parallel conductor 14 Resistive film 16 Flow line 18 Trim cutting 110 Thick film resistor 112 Conductor 114 Resistive film 116 Flow line 118 Trim cutting 120 Tapered edge 122 Slot 210 Thick film resistor 212 Conductor 214 Resistive film 220 Tapered Edge 310 Thick film resistor 314 Resistive film 322 Extension

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Marion Edmond Ellis 46902, Indiana, United States, Marsha Court 605, Kokomo 49, Number 49 (72) Inventor John Karl Eisenberg 46904, Rossville, Indiana, United States North County Road 7999, West 250 (72) Inventor Michael Stewart Gale 46901, Indiana, USA, Cottonwood Drive, Kokomo 800 (72) Inventor Rodney Alan Henderson, 46929, Indiana, Flora, Earl Earl 1, Box 114 (72) Inventor Rory Kay Amos 46902, Indiana, Kokomo, South 389 , East West 00 (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01C 17/22 H01L 27/01 321 H01C 7/00

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of thick film resistors each having a substantially equal footprint and having a resistive portion male made of substantially the same resistive material, and a pair of conductors each having a force terminal portion. Forming each, and for each of said thick film resistors, forming said terminal portion and said opposing edge portion of said resistor portion overlapping said terminal portion to establish a current path therethrough through said resistor portion. Wherein the terminal portion determines a length for the current path, thereby providing a size and shape to affect the resistance to the thick film resistance, the first thick film As a result of the resistance value of the resistor, the terminal portion of the first thick film resistor differs in size and shape from the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor,
Different from the resistance value of the second thick-film resistor, at least one terminal portion of the thick-film resistor is formed to extend substantially parallel to each other along opposing edges of the resistor portion; A method of forming a thick film resistor. 2. A pair of thick film resistors, each having a substantially equal footprint and having a resistive portion male made of substantially the same resistive material, and a pair of conductors each having a force terminal portion. Forming each, and for each of said thick film resistors, forming said terminal portion and said opposing edge portion of said resistor portion overlapping said terminal portion to establish a current path therethrough through said resistor portion. Wherein the terminal portion determines a length for the current path, thereby providing a size and shape to affect the resistance to the thick film resistance, the first thick film The resistance value of the resistor differs from the second thick film resistor as a result of the terminal portion of the first thick film resistor differing in size and shape from the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor; The length of the current path and said at least Forming at least one terminal portion of the thick film resistor to have opposing tapered edges diverging with respect to each other so as to affect a resistance value of the thick film resistor; A method of forming a thick film resistor, wherein an edge promotes a linear relationship between a length of the current path and a resistance value of the at least one thick film resistor. 3. A pair of thick film resistors, each having a substantially equal footprint and having a resistive portion masculined from substantially the same resistive material, and a pair of conductors each having a force terminal portion. Forming each, and for each of said thick film resistors, forming said terminal portion and said opposing edge portion of said resistor portion overlapping said terminal portion to establish a current path therethrough through said resistor portion. Wherein the terminal portion determines a length for the current path, thereby providing a size and shape to affect the resistance to the thick film resistance, the first thick film As a result of the resistance value of the resistor, the terminal portion of the first thick film resistor differs in size and shape from the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor,
The thick film having opposed tapered edges diverging with respect to each other so as to affect the length and resistance of the current path of the corresponding thick film resistor, unlike the resistance value of the second thick film resistor. Forming a terminal portion of each of the resistors, wherein the first terminal portion of the thick film resistor has a different length along the tapered edge from the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor. A method of forming a thick film resistor, wherein a resistance value of the first thick film resistor is different from a resistance value of the second thick film resistor. 4. A thick film resistor formed by the method of claim 2. 5. The thick film resistor according to claim 3, wherein said thick film resistor is a buried resistor of a multilayer type thick film hybrid circuit. 6. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of forming a resistor portion and a pair of conductors each having a terminal portion, wherein the terminal portion and the opposing edge of the resistor portion have the terminal portion therebetween. Forming the terminal portions to have opposite tapered edges that overlap and further diverge with respect to each other to establish a current path through the tapered edge to determine a length for the current path. The current path is established between the tapered edges so as to affect the resistance to the thick film resistor, and the terminal portions are substantially mutually reciprocal along opposing edges of the resistor portion. A method that is formed to extend in parallel. 7. A semiconductor device comprising: a resistance portion;
Forming a pair of conductors, wherein a terminal portion and an opposing edge of the resistive portion overlap and diverge with respect to each other such that the terminal portion establishes a current path therethrough through the resistive portion. Forming the terminal portion with an opposing tapered edge such that the tapered edge determines a length for the current path, thereby affecting the resistance to the thick film resistor. ,
The terminal portion having a length along a direction along the tapered edge such that the current path is established between the tapered edges such that the forming step substantially obtains a resistance to the thick film resistor. Wherein the thick film resistor is a first thick film resistor, and the forming step results in the formation of a second resistor portion and a second pair of conductors to form a second thick film resistor. And wherein the second resistor portion is formed from substantially the same resistive material so as to have a footprint substantially equal to the footprint of the first thick film resistor, and wherein a terminal portion of the second thick film resistor is provided. Are formed to have mutually opposing tapered edges and that the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor is longer than the terminal portion of the first thick film resistor, Has a resistance value different from the first thick film resistance How. 8. A thick film hybrid circuit including a resistor network including a pair of thick film resistors each including a pair of conductors spaced on a substrate and a resistor portion overlapping a terminal portion of the conductor pair. Wherein the resistor portion is characterized by a footprint, and wherein the terminal portion is disposed below an opposing edge of the resistor portion such that the terminal portion is electrically interconnected via the resistor portion. Establishing a current path through a resistor portion that determines a resistance value for the thick film resistor therebetween, wherein the footprints of the resistor portions of the thick film resistor are substantially equal, the resistor portion is formed from one resistive material, The resistance portions of the first and second thick-film resistors are different so that the resistance value of the first thick-film resistor is greater than the resistance value of the second thick-film resistor, and the terminal portion of each thick-film resistor is Extending along the opposite edge of the resistance section As a result of the terminal portion of the first thick film resistor being shorter than the terminal portion of the second thick film resistor, the resistance value of the first thick film resistor is smaller than the resistance value of the second thick film resistor. A larger thick-film hybrid circuit. 9. A thick film hybrid circuit including a resistor network including a pair of thick film resistors each including a pair of conductors spaced on a substrate and a resistor portion overlapping a terminal portion of the conductor pair. Wherein the resistor portion is characterized by a footprint, and wherein the terminal portion is disposed below an opposing edge of the resistor portion such that the terminal portion is electrically interconnected via the resistor portion. Establishing a current path through a resistor portion that determines a resistance value for the thick film resistor therebetween, wherein the footprints of the resistor portions of the thick film resistor are substantially equal, the resistor portion is formed from one resistive material, The resistance portions of the first and second thick film resistors are different so that the resistance value of the first thick film resistor is greater than the resistance value of the second thick film resistor, and at least one terminal portion of the thick film resistor On the opposite edge of the resistance part A thick film hybrid circuit formed so as to extend substantially parallel to one another.