Low-loss and temperature stable (1-x)Ba3P2O8-xMg2B2O5 composite ceramics with low sintering temperature

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In this study, the Ba3P2O8 and Mg2B2O5 were fabricated by the solid-state reaction method separately, and the (1-x)Ba3P2O8-xMg2B2O5 (x = 0.2–0.4) low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) materials were obtained in the sintering temperature range of 880–960 °C. The phase compositions, microstructures, elemental compositions, and microwave dielectric properties of the (1-x)Ba3P2O8-xMg2B2O5 composite ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and TE01δ mode dielectric resonator method, respectively. The results revealed that the Mg2B2O5 phase and Ba3P2O8 phase could coexist well in the (1-x)Ba3P2O8-xMg2B2O5 composite ceramics without formation of any new phases. The abnormal grain growth of Ba3P2O8 grains was inhibited by the addition of Mg2B2O5. In addition, through composition of Ba3P2O8 and Mg2B2O5, the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) and quality factor (Q×f) were effectively optimized, and the sintering temperature was reduced to 880–960 °C. The optimal performance of 0.8Ba3P2O8-0.2Mg2B2O5 composite ceramic was achieved at a sintering temperature of 920 °C, τf = −1.9 ppm/°C, Q×f = 61,250 GHz, and a low permittivity εr = 10.7. The chemical compatibility test demonstrated that the composite ceramic could coexist well with silver, which indicated that the 0.8Ba3P2O8-0.2Mg2B2O5 composite ceramic is a candidate LTCC material with wide application prospects.