Effect of sintering temperature electrical properties of ZNR doped with Pr–Co–Cr–La

Abstract The microstructure, electrical properties, and dielectric characteristics of the ZNR (zinc oxide-based nonlinear resistors), which are composed of zinc oxide-based ceramics doped with Pr–Co–Cr–La, were investigated at different sintering temperatures (1240, 1245, 1250, 1255, 1260, and 1300 °C). The increase of sintering temperature led to more densified ceramics, whereas it decreased the nonlinear properties and breakdown voltage. The highest nonlinearity was obtained from 1240 °C, with 79.3 in nonlinear coefficient and 0.3 μA in leakage current. As the sintering temperature increased, the donor density increased from 0.90 × 1018 to 2.59 × 1018/cm3, and the barrier height decreased from 1.90 to 0.67 eV, and the dielectric dissipation factor increased from 0.0874 to 0.2839.