Thin-Film Technology

Abstract

A requirement for bridging the gap between analogue and digital information has produced new and more demanding requirements for precision voltage division. Therefore, based on years of experience in producing thin-film Cr-Co discrete precision resistors on flat substrates, it was necessary to develop a technology for producing multiple-complex thin-film precision-integrated resistive networks on a single substrate. The resulting networks were found to offer performance, speed, size and reliability advantages over networks formed by interconnection of discrete precision resistors whether made similarly, by wound wires, helixed films or bulk foils. As many as 50 distinct resistors are interconnected as desired within the continuous thin resistor film. The resistive interconnections are shunted by co-deposited metallic films of high electrical conductivity. A wide range of resistance values are obtained by varying the sheet resistance and resistance element configuration.