Development of a techincal process for manufacturing thermoastable resistive microvawes loads

This article is dedicated to the study of the influence of various parameters on the process of manufacturing thermally stable resistive microwave loads. Thin tantalum films are used as the resistive layer for these loads. The use of tantalum films as the resistive layer increases the stability of the films and reduces the thickness of the resistive layer. The main challenges during the development of the technological process for manufacturing these products involve issues with the deposition of tantalum films with insufficient uniformity, the selection of the best thermal stabilization method for the films with minimal change in resistance, and the selection of a photoresist brand that provides the required coverage for etching and rinses without residue. The authors conducted a study on the influence of different heat treatment modes for stabilizing thin tantalum films, explored various brands of photoresist for lithography, selected the optimal substrate material for this type of load, and investigated the deposition modes of tantalum films using magnetron sputtering equipment. To select the optimal substrate material for manufacturing these loads, thermal modeling was conducted, which was compared with actual samples when applying similar power. At the conclusion of the study, utilizing all the obtained data, a technological process for the production of thermally stable resistive microwave loads was developed, and samples of these loads were also produced.