The purpose of this paper is to study the variation of the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of polymer thick film resistors, namely, PVC‐graphite thick film resistors, with parameters such as volume fraction, grain size, and high voltage.
A model is proposed to explain the observed variations, which assumes that the texture of the thick film resistors consists of insulator granules coated with conducting particles.
The paper finds that the TCR of these materials is controlled mainly by the contact resistance fluctuations between the conducting particles and the number of contacts each particle has with it neighbours. The variation of TCR with high voltage has also been explained with the help of this model and it is attributed to the changes in contact area and the number of contacts.
The value of the paper is in showing that apparently the TCR of polymer thick film resistors can be controlled by the expansion properties of the insulating medium. The variation of TCR with high voltage is also due to change in number of contacts between the conducting particles. These types of material may find applications in thermal sensors or as temperature control elements.
