Effects of alkaline-earth-metal addition on the sinterability and microwave characteristics of (Zr,Sn)TiO4 dielectrics

The sinterability and microwave dielectric properties of (Zr0.8Sn0.2)TiO4 w ith additions of 1 mol% of magnesium, calcium, strontium, or barium were ex amined, All the alkaline-earth metals were effective for densification, and the order of effectiveness was as follows: Mg < Ca < Sr < Ba, The dielectr ic constant and the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency were not influenced very much by the additives; however, a strong deterioration of the quality factor (Q) did occur when magnesium was added. The presence of grain-boundary phases was confirmed via microstructural observation, usi ng transmission electron microscopy, In addition, energy-dispersive X-ray a nalysis was performed to investigate the cause of the deterioration in the Q value.