Novel method to achieve temperature-stable microwave dielectric ceramics: a case in the fergusonite-structured NdNbO4 system

Microwave dielectric ceramics with permittivity (εr) ∼ 20 play an important role in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology in 5G. Although fergusonite-structured materials with low dielectric loss are good candidates for 5G application, tuning the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) remains a problem. In the present work, smaller V5+ ions (rV = 0.355 Å, with coordination number (CN) = 4) were substituted for Nb5+ (rNb = 0.48 Å with CN = 4) in the Nd(Nb1–xVx)O4 ceramics, which, according to in situ X-ray diffraction data, lowered the fergusonite-to-scheelite phase transition (TF-S) to 400 °C for x = 0.2. The thermal expansion coefficient (αL) of the high-temperature scheelite phase was +11 ppm/°C, whereas for the low-temperature fergusonite phase, it was + 14 < αL < + 15 ppm/°C. The abrupt change in αL, the associated negative temperature coefficient of permittivity (τε), and the minimum value of εr at TF-S resulted in a near-zero TCF ∼ (+7.8 ppm/°C) for Nd(Nb0.8V0.2)O4 (εr ∼ 18.6 and Qf ∼ 70,100 GHz). A method to design near-zero TCF compositions based on modulation of τε and αL at TF-S is thus demonstrated that may also be extended to other fergusonite systems.