Effect of the sintering temperature on the Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 dielectric properties

Preparation of dielectric materials with optimal properties for wireless applications requires special thermal treatments due to the difficult control of the cationic ordering. The BZT samples prepared by solid-state reaction were sintered at temperatures in the range 1400–1600 °C for 4 h. For compositional, structural and morphological characterization, XRD, SEM and EDX were employed. The order–disorder transition of the BZT material was analyzed. With the increase of the sintering temperature, a long-range order with a 2:1 ratio of Ta and Zn cations on the octahedral positions of the perovskite structure was observed. The dielectric parameters were measured in the microwave range and were correlated with morphological and structural properties. In order to improve the microwave properties, annealing treatment at 1400 °C for 10 h was performed. Sintering temperatures greater than 1550 °C are required for undoped BZT compositions, in order to obtain low microwave loss (Qf > 100,000).