Long-Term Mechanical Reliability of Ceramic Thick-Film Circuits and Mechanical Sensors Under Static Load

In this work, we study the long-term static fatigue (constant load, room temperature, ∼100% humidity) performance of ceramic thick-film circuits, as a function of substrate and thick-film compositions, comparing standard 96% alumina with high-strength zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA). Blank ZTA exhibits higher short-term strength and resistance to static fatigue than alumina. However, many thick-film compositions degrade the static fatigue behaviour, with ZTA being in general more affected. This implies that choice of thick-film materials is important for mechanical reliability.