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

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.