Low-temperature sintered Zn(Nb1−xVx/2)2O6−2.5x microwave dielectric ceramics with high Q value for LTCC application

Abstract V2O5-substituted ZnNb2O6 ceramics with composition of Zn(Nb1−xVx/2)2O6−2.5x (i.e. ZNV) were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The substitution of V2O5 in ZnNb2O6 ceramics could effectively lower the sintering temperature to ∼950 °C in comparison to 1150 °C for pure ZnNb2O6 ceramics. The phase composition and microstructure of samples with different substitution amounts of V2O5 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(Nb0.95V0.025)2O5.875 sintered at 1000 °C exhibit the optimum properties: ɛr = 23.8, Q × f = 64,000 GHz and τf = −50 ppm/°C. The co-firing behavior with Ag electrodes has also been investigated.