Experimental and theoretical study on the relationship between structure and properties of NiO substituted BaZnP2O7 microwave dielectric ceramics with enhanced quality factor for LTCC application

In this work, we incorporated Ni2+ ions into BaZnP2O7 ceramics with a low dielectric constant to improve their performance. Enhancement of microwave dielectric properties was observed for BaZn0.94Ni0.06P2O7 sintered at 900 degrees C for 3 h: Er = 7.43(+/- 0.04), Q x f = 102,538(+/- 3012) GHz, and zf = -64(+/- 2.4) ppm/ degrees C. XRD, SAED, and EDS mapping indicated that a solid solution was formed in all ceramic samples. The Ni2+ doping promoted grain growth and densification of the samples. The density was a major factor affecting dielectric constant Er, and the pore-corrected Erc was explained by the molecular polarizability. The vibrational characteristics were analyzed by Raman and FTIR spectroscopies. The FWHM of Raman peaks had a marked effect on the Q x f and zf values. Furthermore, the higher lattice energy and larger band gap lead to the higher Q x f value of the BaZn0.94- Ni0.06P2O7 ceramic with lower density. The excellent performance of the prepared ceramics makes them a good candidate material for low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology.