Preparation and Characterization of BaTiO3 Thick Films with Li2O-SiO2 Sintering Aid

The effect of adding a Li2SiO3 (LSO) sintering aid for low temperature fabrication of BaTiO3 (BT) thick films was investigated. LSO-added BT thick films were prepared by the screen printing method on Pt-coated ZrO2 substrates. Their sintering properties were significantly improved by the addition of LSO, and the relative density of the BT thick film fired in air at 1200°C was 96%. The secondary phase was not observed. The dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the LSO-added BT thick films were examined. A typical ferroelectric hysteresis loop was observed, and the remnant polarization (Pr) was 7.5 µC/cm2. The dielectric constant was 3200, and tan δ was 2.1%. The maximum piezoelectric constant d31 calculated from the displacement of the Pt/BT/Pt/ZrO2 monomorph cantilever was -140 pm/V, and d33 measured with an atomic force microscope was 320 pm/V.