Microwave dielectric properties and low temperature sintering of Li2Zn(Ti1−xSnx)3O8 (x ≤ 0.20) ceramics with B2O3–CuO addition

In the present work, the influence of Sn substitution for Ti on the phase composition and microwave dielectric properties of the Li2Zn(Ti1−xSnx)3O8 (x ≤ 0.20) ceramics was studied. It was found that the Sn did not occupy the Ti site in the Li2Zn(Ti1−xSnx)3O8 system but existed in the form of SnO2 as a secondary phase. With the increase of Sn amount, the best microwave dielectric properties with εr = 23.3, Q × f = 71,000 GHz and TCF = −21.7 ppm/°C were obtained in the Li2Zn(Ti0.9Sn0.1)3O8 ceramic sintered at 1,120 °C. The sintering temperature of Li2Zn(Ti0.9Sn0.1)3O8 ceramic can be can effectively lowered to below 960 °C by the addition of 0.4B2O3–0.6CuO and this materials is chemically compatible with silver. This makes the Li2Zn(Ti1−xSnx)3O8 ceramics good candidates for low temperature co-fired ceramics technology.