Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
55 words
Glass-ceramic structure having via holes being filled with a conductive material having a TCE slightly higher than that of the glass-ceramic and having undergone liquid phase sintering at the crystallization temperature of the glass-ceramic material with the solid phase of the conductive material comprising conductive particles and the liquid phase comprising at least a glass.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
Glass-ceramic structure having via holes being filled with a conductive material having a TCE slightly higher than that of the glass-ceramic and having undergone liquid phase sintering at the crystallization temperature of the glass-ceramic material with the solid phase of the conductive material comprising conductive particles and the liquid phase comprising at least a glass.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 1 wherein the conductive particles comprise a group IVa, Va, VIa (of the periodic table) metal or a carbide of such a metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 2 wherein the metal or carbide is W, Mo, Ti, WC, TiC, TiWC, TaC or VC.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
Glass-ceramic structure of claim 3 wherein the metal or carbide is WC.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 1 wherein at least a glass in the liquid phase is a glass with the main constituents being SiO 2 , B 2 O 3 and optionally Na 2 O.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
Glass-ceramic structure of claim 5 wherein part of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 5 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 50 to about 80 SiO 2 , about 20 to about 40 B 2 O 3 , 0 to about 1 Al 2 O 3 , 0 to about 4 Na 2 O and <about 1 K 2 O.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 7 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
51 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 5 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 50 to about 70 SiO 2 , about 20 to about 30 B 2 O 3 ,<about 1 Al 2 O 3 , about 2 to about 20 Na 2 O and <about 1 K 2 O.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 9 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 1 wherein the at least a glass in the liquid phase is a glass with the main constituents being Cu 2 O, SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 .
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
Glass-ceramic of claim 11 wherein part of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 11 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 23 to about 40 Cu 2 O, about 32 to about 60 SiO 2 and about 16 to about 28 Al 2 O 3 .
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 13 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 1 wherein the conductive material contains an additive of a metal or metals not contained in the conductive particles which coats the conductive particles and/or is mixed with the at least one glass where the at least one glass and the additive form separate phases and wherein optionally the additive forms an eutectic mixture as a further constituent of the liquid phase.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
45 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 15 wherein said additive is Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Ni or combinations thereof, wherein said coating is Ni, Co, Cu or combinations thereof and wherein said eutectic mixture is Ag and Cu, Ni and Co or Au, Co and Cu.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
82 words
Glass-ceramic structure, wherein the structure is a multilayer substrate comprising a plurality of layers of glass-ceramic material having via holes therein with at least the top and bottom layers having the via holes filled with a conductive material having a TCE slightly higher than that of the glass-ceramics and having undergone liquid phase sintering at the crystallization temperature of the glass-ceramic material with the solid phase of the conductive material comprising conductive particles and the liquid phase comprising at least a glass.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
82 words
Glass-ceramic structure, wherein the structure is a multilayer substrate comprising a plurality of layers of glass-ceramic material having via holes therein with at least the top and bottom layers having the via holes filled with a conductive material having a TCE slightly higher than that of the glass-ceramics and having undergone liquid phase sintering at the crystallization temperature of the glass-ceramic material with the solid phase of the conductive material comprising conductive particles and the liquid phase comprising at least a glass.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 17 wherein the intermediate layers have the vias filled with copper.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
Glass-ceramic structure according to claim 18 wherein there is at least one relief layer positioned between the top and intermediate layers and the bottom and intermediate layers, the relief layers having vias filled with porous copper.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
147 words
Method for forming a glass-ceramic structure comprising the steps of: providing a green sheet comprising an organic vehicle and particles of a crystallizable first glass having a crystallization temperature and having via holes, filling the via holes with a paste comprising a binder and an inorganic material comprising conductive particles being solid at the sintering temperature of said first glass and particles of a second glass being low viscous at said crystallization temperature, firing the then present structure in a reducing, neutral or slightly oxidizing atmosphere with the temperature being gradually raised to said sintering temperature where said binder is removed, said first glass is crystallized and said inorganic material in said via holes undergoes liquid phase sintering with at least said conductive particles forming the solid phase and at least said second glass forming the liquid phase; and slowly cooling down the structure to room temperature.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
147 words
Method for forming a glass-ceramic structure comprising the steps of: providing a green sheet comprising an organic vehicle and particles of a crystallizable first glass having a crystallization temperature and having via holes, filling the via holes with a paste comprising a binder and an inorganic material comprising conductive particles being solid at the sintering temperature of said first glass and particles of a second glass being low viscous at said crystallization temperature, firing the then present structure in a reducing, neutral or slightly oxidizing atmosphere with the temperature being gradually raised to said sintering temperature where said binder is removed, said first glass is crystallized and said inorganic material in said via holes undergoes liquid phase sintering with at least said conductive particles forming the solid phase and at least said second glass forming the liquid phase; and slowly cooling down the structure to room temperature.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
Method according to claim 20, wherein the conductive particles comprise a group IVa, Va, VIa (of the periodic table) metal or a carbide of such a metal.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method according to claim 21 wherein the metal or carbide is W, Mo, Ti, WC, TiC, TiWC, TaC or VC.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
11 words
Method of claim 22 wherein the metal or carbide is WC.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
29 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein the second glass is a glass with the main constituents being SiO 2 , B 2 O 3 and optionally Na 2 O.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
14 words
Method of claim 24 wherein part of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
Method according to claim 24 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 50 to about 80 SiO 2 , about 20 to about 40 B 2 O 3 , 0 to about 1 Al 2 O 3 , 0 to about 4 Na 2 O and <about 1 K 2 O.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method according to claim 26 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
51 words
Method according to claim 24 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 50 to about 70 SiO 2 , about 20 to about 30 B 2 O 3 , <about 1 Al 2 O 3 , about 2 to about 20 Na 2 O and <about 1 K 2 O.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method according to claim 28 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein the second glass is a glass with the main constituents being Cu 2 O, SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 .
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
14 words
Method of claim 30 wherein part of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
38 words
Method according to claim 30 wherein the glass comprises (in weight %) about 23 to about 40 Cu 2 O, about 32 to about 60 SiO 2 and about 16 to about 28 Al 2 O 3 .
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method according to claim 32 wherein up to about 2 mole % of the SiO 2 is replaced by SiC.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
33 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein to said inorganic material an additive of a metal or metals not being contained in the conductive particles is mixed with said particles of said second glass.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
Method according to claim 34 wherein said additive is coated on said second glass particles.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
60 words
Method according to claim 34 wherein said additive is added in the form of an eutectic mixture being liquid or low viscous respectively in the liquid sintering step and/or the additive is added in the form of a mixture of two or three metals that form an eutectic mixture being liquid or low viscous respectively during the liquid phase sintering.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein to said inorganic material an additive of a metal or metals not being contained in the conductive particles is coated on the conductive particles.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
15 words
Method according to claim 34 wherein said additive is cobalt, copper, gold, nickel or silver.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
27 words
Method according to claim 36 wherein the eutectic mixture or its precursors are composed of silver and copper or copper, cobalt and gold or cobalt and nickel.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
15 words
Method according to claim 37 wherein said additive is nickel, cobalt, copper or combinations thereof.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
60 words
Method according to claim 34 wherein said paste comprises about 10 to about 20 weight-% of said binder and about 80 to about 90 weight-% of said inorganic material with said inorganic material comprising about 62 to about 98.5 weight-% of conductive particles and about 1.5 to about 5 weight-% of said second glass with the remainder being said additive.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
60 words
Method according to claim 37 wherein said paste comprises about 10 to about 20 weight-% of said binder and about 80 to about 90 weight-% of said inorganic material with said inorganic material comprising about 62 to about 98.5 weight-% of conductive particles and about 1.5 to about 5 weight-% of said second glass with the remainder being said additive.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
21 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein said sintering temperature lies in the range between about 800° C. and about 970° C.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
17 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein binder removal is performed in an H 2 O/H 2 atmosphere.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
74 words
Method according to claim 20 wherein prior to the firing the following steps are inserted: stacking in registration a predetermined number of said green sheets having said second glass, continuing the stacking in registration with a predetermined number of green sheets not having said second glass, completing the stacking in registration with a predetermined number of said green sheets having said second glass, and laminating the stack by the application of heat and pressure.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
62 words
Method according to claim 45, wherein prior to continuing the stacking and prior to completing the stacking, at least one additional green sheet having a paste comprising an organic vehicle and a mixture of Cu and Cu 2 O in a predetermined volume ratio is inserted into the stack, wherein upon sintering said Cu and Cu 2 O mixture forms porous copper.