Low temperature sintered ceramic material for use in solid dielectric

Abstract

A ceramic composition capable of sintering at a sufficiently low temperature to enable the use of a low cost base metal as the electrode material in the fabrication of capacitors. The major ingredient of the composition is expressed as Ba.sub.k-x-y M.sub.x L.sub.y O.sub.k TiO.sub.2, where M is at least either of magnesium and zinc, L is at least either of strontium and calcium, k, x and y are numerals in the ranges of 1.00 to 1.04, 0.002 to 0.049, and 0.001 to 0.048, respectively, and x+y is a value in the range of 0.02 to 0.05. To this major ingredient is added a minor proportion of a mixture of lithium oxide, silicon dioxide, and, possibly, at least one of barium oxide, calcium oxide, and strontium oxide. For the fabrication of coherently bonded bodies of this composition, as for use as the dielectric bodies of capacitors, the moldings of the mixture of the major ingredient and additive in finely divided form are sintered in a reductive or neutral atmosphere and then reheated at a lower temperature in an oxidative atmosphere. The sintering temperature can be so low (typically from 1050.degree. to 1200.degree. C.) that the moldings can be co-sintered with base metal electrodes buried therein without difficulties encountered heretofore.