Fabrication of 16-bit DAC Using Infrared Fired Thick-Film Process

lnterest in infrared firing of thick films has increased recently because of its potential advantages, such as short process time cycles and low power consumption, over its conventional counterpart. The theory of infrared firing and some related experimental work have been reported previously. However, earlier experimental studies were concentrated on the study of individual components like resistors or capacitors. Studies related to the effects of infrared firing on the performance of a complete circuit are scarcely reported. The present work has been aimed to study the behavior of 16- and 14-bit digital-to-analog converter circuits with number of interconnected resistor-conductor networks and fabricated using infrared fired thick-film process. The study demonstrates the viability of infrared firing for the processing of high-quality thick-film microcircuits, provided optimization of firing profile is carried out.