Development of a model for the sintering of PZT multilayer ceramics and their dielectric properties

Piezoelectric multilayer ceramics are increasingly used in sophisticated applications for high-precision positioning systems. The reproducibility of the piezo-electrical properties is of major importance for the manufacture of high quality products. This study focuses on the variation of the sintering parameters and its effect on the poling behaviour as a contribution to the establishment of an understanding of PZT multilayer processing. To cover the complexity of the sintering process, the experiments were conducted with the design of experiments method. As parameters the sintering temperature, the holding time, the airflow in the furnace and the lead oxide atmosphere were investigated. As target variables the grain size, density and mass loss were investigated. In the following the correlations between the target variables and the sintering parameters were discussed and summarised in a model. The ceramic properties were correlated to the dielectric properties and the influence of the poling process was evaluated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.