Effect of Sn4+ and W6+ substitution on the dielectric properties of Bi2O3–ZnO–Nb2O5-based low firing ceramics

Abstract

As a promising candidate for thermostable Low-temperature co-fired ceramic material with NP0 characteristic, (Bi1.8Zn0.2)(Zn0.6Nb1.4−2xSnxWx)O7 (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10) dielectric ceramics with improved dielectric properties were prepared by conventional mixed oxide route. The effect of the chemical substitution of Sn4+ and W6+ cations on the structure and dielectric properties in this system had been investigated systematically. The Sn4+ and W6+ co-substitution was tentatively introduced in cubic-monoclinic pyrochlores co-existing ceramics and the results showed regular influence on the structure, dielectric properties with the amount of substitution. With the structure evaluation and electrical properties measurement results, the Sn4+ and W6+ substituted Nb5+ in B site showed an effective way to depress the grain growth and the ceramic with fine grains in 1–3 μm that can be obtained at a low sintering temperature of 950 °C. Based on these results, small amount of Sn4+ and W6+ substitution was successfully applied to a base ceramic with the electrical properties, which can be a promising candidate for LTCC and multilayer components applications in high frequency and microwave range.