Dielectrophoretic mechanism for downward trimming of polymer resistors

The effect of high voltage pulses on the resistance of polymer thick film resistors (PTFR) is studied. It is found that the resistance decreases with both the amplitude and duration of the high voltage pulses and with the number of pulses. The change in resistance is attributed to the dielectrophoretic motion of graphite granules in the PVC medium when high voltage pulses are applied to PTFR. A model has been proposed through which the percentage change in resistance can be estimated in terms of the number of pulses, duration of pulses etc. Based on these investigations, we suggest a downward trimming method for PTFR through the application of high voltage pulses. This method of trimming is a clean process and trimmed resistors are free from hot spots.