Characterization of LiF/CuO-Codoped BaTiO3 for Embedded Capacitors

Sintering additives for BaTiO3 were studied in order to facilitate the use of BaTiO3 as a material for embedded decoupling capacitors in high-density multilayered low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) modules for mobile communication systems and three-dimensional (3D) printing modules. Among the studied additives, the CuO/LiF mixture was the most promising sintering additive for cofiring BaTiO3 with a commercial low-permittivity (εr) LTCC sheet (MLS-22, NEG Co.). The temperature dependence of the dielectric properties of BaTiO3 was successfully controlled by adjusting the CuO/LiF amount and ratio and the sintering temperature. BaTiO3 codoped with 10 wt.% LiF/CuO (1:1 ratio) and sintered at 860°C for 30 min showed 95% sintering density. The room-temperature permittivity (εr) of LiF/CuO-codoped BaTiO3 was 1620 at 1 MHz, and the temperature coefficient of capacitance satisfied the X5R specification. After cofiring this LiF/CuO-codoped BaTiO3 ceramic with an MLS-22 sheet at 860°C, there was no crack formation at the layer boundary. Also a chemical compatibility test revealed that there were no severe reactions between the LiF/CuO-codoped BaTiO3 and an Ag electrode.