Influence of sintering on microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO-based multilayer varistor (MLV)

The effect of sintering on microstructure, dielectric property and varistor property of ZnO-based multilayer varistor (MLV) were investigated. The results show that an optimum microstructure of ZnO-based MLV can be obtained when sintering at 950 °C/1.5 h. The reaction between ZnO and Sb2O3 is noted. Also, the segregation of Bi2O3 to the inner electrode and thus the reaction of Bi2O3 with Pd are observed. The VB and α value of ZnO-based MLV can be controlled in a straightforward manner through the control of grain size. The decrease in VB directly relates to the grain growth of ZnO grains when increasing the sintering temperatures from 900 to 1050 °C. Moreover, the increase of capacitance with sintering temperature may mainly result from the coalescence of ZnO matrix grains. The energy absorption capabilities in terms of electro-static discharge (ESD) and peak current (PC) measurements of ZnO-based MLV are reported. The optimum varistor properties of ZnO-based MLV can be obtained when sintering at 950 °C.