Sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of ZnCuTiO4 ceramics

Being a second phase in the Zn–Cu–Ti-contained ceramic systems, the sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of ZnCuTiO4 are investigated for the first time. The ZnCuTiO4 phase forms at a temperature less than 700 °C and the dependence of the dielectric properties of the ceramics on the sintering condition is found to be insignificant at sintering temperatures ranging from 900 to 1050 °C and with sintering time from 30 to 120 min. The relative densities of the specimens are higher than 95% for the entire temperature range tested during the experiment. Rather than being determined by the relative density, the Q × f of ZnCuTiO4 ceramics is being controlled instead by the packing fraction. Specimen using ZnCuTiO4 possesses a combination of dielectric properties with εr of 18.86–19.69, Q × f of 4600–6000 GHz, and τf of −29.1 to −34.7 ppm/°C.