Investigation of high frequency (2.45 GHz, 30 GHz) sintering for Pb-based ferroelectrics and microscale functional devices

Abstract

Microwave sintering of PZT-based ceramics was investigated using multimode heating at 2.45 and 30 GHz and compared to conventional thermal processing. For PZT-5 and PZT-5H ceramics, microwave processing resulted in a reduction of sintering temperature by more than 150°C. Of significance to the production of high surface area lead-based components, minimal PbO volatility was detected for samples processed as high as 1200°C. In contrast to conventionally processed PZTs, no grain size dependency of the dielectric and piezoelectric properties was observed. Microscale functional components processed using microwave sintering included 1–3 piezoelectric composites, PZT fibers, and multilayer actuators.

Key Words:

• Microwave sintering
• PZT
• actuators
• transducers