Ta-Si-C High Resistivity Thin Films for Thermal Printing Heads

Ta-Si-C thin films have been developed for thermal printing heads, and the effect of composition on the film properties was studied. The results of these investigations show that (1) when Ta-Si-C thin films are formed, the composition of the film does not agree with the target composition, (2) addition of carbon to Ta/SiC mixtures suppresses recrystallization during high temperature treatment, (3) excellent characteristies are achieved with thermal printing heads using Ta-Si-C thin films formed using a target with more than 20-percent carbon in a SiC/C mixture, and (4) irreversible resistance changes are very small in thermal printing heads containing more than 20-percent carbon when external heat is applied. These results show that Ta-Si-C is an excellent material for use in thermal printing heads.