Structural and microwave dielectric properties of Sr1-xBaxNb2O6 ceramics at microwave frequencies

Abstract Microwave dielectric properties and crystal structure of Sr1-xBaxNb2O6 ceramics (x = 0·39, 0·45, 0·50, 0·55, 0·57, 0·60, 0·65) have been investigated. The microwave cavity perturbation technique was employed for the study of dielectric properties. Parameters such as complex permittivity and conductivity of strontium barium niobate ceramics were determined at the S band by measuring changes in the resonant frequencies and Q values of the cavity resulting from the introduction of the sample. The real part of the complex permittivity of all samples shows an increase with frequency, whereas the imaginary part of permittivity decreases as frequency increases. The effects of composition and sintering temperature on crystal structure and microstructure were studied by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Most compositions show preferred orientations along the c axis, as is evident from the relatively high intensity of (001) and (002) peaks. The microstructure contains ferroelectric domainlike structures with increasing barium content.