The silver sintering agent produced according to the inventive method is a layer-shaped silver sintering body having silver oxide surfaces, i.e., having a total surface or multiple discrete surfaces, each in the form of a silver oxide layer. Accordingly, the silver sintering agent is a discrete layer-shaped silver sintering body that is present freely and/or as a single separate part, i.e. a discrete and/or free sintered silver layer comprising said silver oxide surfaces. The thickness or layer thickness of the layer-shaped silver sintering body is in the range of, for example, 10 to 300 μm.

As mentioned above, the silver sintering agent produced according to the inventive method is a layer-shaped silver sintering body. i.e., a sintered silver structure in the form of a layer, in other words, a silver structure that cannot be sintered any longer as such. A sintered silver structure of this type comprises, in particular, no silver oxide, i.e., no silver oxide in its mass, other than the external silver oxide surfaces mentioned above. A layer-shaped silver sintering body of this type shall, not be mistaken for one of the still sinterable sintering preforms mentioned above.

The metal oxide and silver oxide surfaces or metal oxide and silver oxide layers mentioned herein each are external or outward-facing metal oxide and silver oxide surfaces and/or metal oxide and silver oxide layers. Referring to the sintering agent, this can also concern, in particular, a silver oxide surface or silver oxide layer that covers the entire external surface thereof and therefore is outward-facing.

The silver of the silver sintering agent can be pure silver or a silver alloy. The alloys comprise, for example, a fraction of >50 wt % silver.