Nitrogen-Modified Silver-Coated Copper Powder Conductivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conductive materials, particularly silver-coated copper powders, face challenges in achieving increased conductivity without significantly raising the silver content per unit specific surface area, especially with finer patterning and smaller thickness requirements.
Innovation Solution
A silver-coated copper powder with a dendritic shape and a silver layer containing nitrogen, where the nitrogen content is between 0.2 and 10 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of silver, enhancing conductivity without increasing silver content per unit specific surface area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If silver content per unit specific surface area is increased to achieve higher conductivity, then electrical conductivity is improved, but material cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameter of the silver layer by incorporating nitrogen elements. This modifies the electrical properties of the silver layer, enabling enhanced conductivity without proportionally increasing silver content. The nitrogen incorporation alters the electronic structure and charge carrier density in the silver layer, achieving the desired conductivity improvement through compositional parameter change rather than simply adding more silver.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure consisting of a copper core particle coated with a nitrogen-containing silver layer. This composite material combines the high conductivity of silver with the beneficial electrical properties introduced by nitrogen, while the copper core provides structural support and cost reduction. The composite structure allows optimization of conductivity through the nitrogen-modified silver layer rather than requiring bulk silver material.
2Manufacturing precision
If particle size is reduced for finer patterning, then manufacturing precision is improved, but specific surface area increases requiring more silver to maintain conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention modifies the chemical composition of the silver layer by incorporating nitrogen, which changes the electrical conductivity parameter per unit mass. This allows smaller particles with higher specific surface area to achieve the same or better conductivity performance, as the nitrogen-modified silver layer provides enhanced conductivity efficiency that compensates for the increased surface area in fine particles.
3Quantity of substance
If dendritic shape is used to reduce silver content, then silver content is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dendritic shape inherently segments the particle structure into multiple branches and arms, creating a high surface-area-to-volume ratio structure. This segmentation allows the silver layer to be distributed more efficiently across the particle, reducing the total silver content needed while maintaining conductivity pathways through the branched structure. The segmentation principle is combined with nitrogen incorporation to enhance the conductivity efficiency of the reduced silver quantity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The silver-coated copper powder exhibits increased conductivity, making it effective for use in conductive pastes and films without the need for substantial silver content increases, thus optimizing electrical conduction characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
silver has high conductibility, it is widely used as a main constituent material of various conductive materials
Implementation Method 2
Displacement plating is the deposition of metallic silver resulting from reduction of silver ions each gaining an electron from metallic copper on the interface with copper particles, with the metallic copper, on the other hand, being oxidized to copper ions
Data Source
AI summary
A novel silver-coated copper powder, particularly a silver-coated copper powder particle having a dendritic shape, having increased electrical conductivity with no need to increase the silver content is provided. The silver-coated copper powder is composed of a silver-coated copper particle coated with a silver layer containing silver or a silver alloy, including a silver-coated copper particle having a dendritic shape, containing nitrogen (N) in the silver layer, and having a nitrogen (N) content of 0.2 to 10.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the silver content.