Low fire Z5U ceramic dielectric for surface mount MLC

A method for simultaneously lowering the sintering temperature and increasing the mechanical strength of barium titanate dielectrics has been developed. The method also results in high dielectric constant. This technique is useful in designing ceramic dielectrics for use in the manufacture of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCs) for applications in surface mount circuit assemblies. The low sintering temperature makes it possible to utilize low-cost silver/palladium electrodes, and the mechanical strength makes surface mount capacitors less susceptible to damage due to mechanical or thermal stresses during the assembly process. The electrical and mechanical properties of a Z5U dielectric developed using this method are discussed and compared to those of commercially available Z5U materials