Low-temperature sintered Zn(Nb 1− xV x/2 ) 2O 6−2.5 x microwave dielectric ceramics with high Q value for LTCC application

Abstract

V 2O 5-substituted ZnNb 2O 6 ceramics with composition of Zn(Nb 1− x V x/2 ) 2O 6−2.5 x (i.e. ZNV) were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The substitution of V 2O 5 in ZnNb 2O 6 ceramics could effectively lower the sintering temperature to ∼950 °C in comparison to 1150 °C for pure ZnNb 2O 6 ceramics. The phase composition and microstructure of samples with different substitution amounts of V 2O 5 sintered at different temperatures were investigated systematically. The low-temperature sintering behaviors and good microwave dielectric properties, especially high Q × f values, indicate that ZNV ceramics could be a very promising candidate for low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). The samples with chemical formula Zn(Nb 0.95V 0.025) 2O 5.875 sintered at 1000 °C exhibit the optimum properties: ɛ r = 23.8, Q × f = 64,000 GHz and τ f = −50 ppm/°C. The co-firing behavior with Ag electrodes has also been investigated.