Microwave Dielectric Properties of ZnO-2TiO2-Nb2O5 Ceramics with BaCu (B2O5) Addition.

The influence of BaCu(B₂O₅) (BCB) addition on the sintering temperature and microwave dielectric properties of ZnO-2TiO₂-Nb₂O₅ (ZTN) ceramic has been investigated using dilatometry, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and microwave dielectric measurements. A small amount of BCB addition to ZTN can lower the sintering temperature from 1100°C to 900°C. The reduced sintering temperature was attributed to the formation of the BCB liquid phase. The ZTN ceramics containing 3.0 wt.% BCB sintered at 900°C for 2 h have good microwave dielectric properties of Q × f = 19,002 GHz (at 6.48 GHz), ε_r = 45.8 and τ _f = 23.2 ppm/°C, which suggests that the ceramics can be applied in multilayer microwave devices, provided that Ag compatibility exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]