Mg2SnO4 ceramics II.: Electrical characterization

The inverse spinel-structured Mg2SnO4 possessing steady capacitance over the temperature range between 27 and 300 degreesC in a frequency domain spanning nearly four decades has been examined by an a.c. technique. The samples investigated in this study were synthesized by using solid state reaction (SSR) and self-heat-sustained (SHS) techniques. The a.c. immittance (impedance or admittance) measurements in the frequency range 5 Hz-13 MHz were carried out on bodies sintered at 1500 degreesC:6 h and 1600 degreesC/2 h. The acquired electrical data exhibited relaxation in the Z*-plane alone, in the form of a small are of a large semicircle. The magnitude of the terminal capacitance was found to be in a narrow window of similar to8-11 pF, while the average dielectric constant was about 10. Further analysis also revealed that this material system possessed ultra-low temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) and dielectric constant (TCK) along with very small magnitude of loss tangent. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved.