Reduced dielectric loss of modified ZnNb2O6 ceramics by substituting Nb5+ with Ta5+

Abstract

The effects of substituting Nb5+ with Ta5+ on the microwave dielectric properties of the ZnNb2O6 ceramics were investigated in this study. The forming of Zn(Nb1-xTa x)2O6 (x=0-0.09) solid solution was confirmed by the measured lattice parameters and the EDX analysis. By increasing x, not only could the Q × f of the Zn(Nb1-xTax) 2O6 (x=0-0.09) solid solution be tremendously boosted from 83 600 GHz at x=0 to a maximum 152 000 GHz at x=0.05, the highest εr∼24.6 could also be achieved simultaneously. It was mainly due to the uniform grain morphology and the highest relative density of the specimen. A fine combination of microwave dielectric properties (εr∼24.6, Q × f∼152 000 GHz at 8.83 GHz, τf∼-71.1 ppm/°C) was achieved for Zn(Nb 0.95Ta0.05)2O6 solid solution sintered at 1175°C for 2 h. © 2009 The American Ceramic Society.