Influence of silver migration on dielectric properties and reliability of relaxor based MLCCs

In order to study the micro-mechanism of silver migration which influences the reliability of relaxor based multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), micro-silver-doped PMN-PZN based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were investigated for their microstructural and dielectric properties. SEM observations showed that the microstructure near the interface of MLCCs was greatly changed by the action of the inner silver/palladium electrode. The results indicate that silver migration causes grain growth, changes dielectric properties and decreases insulation resistance. Defect chemistry principles were used to explain the micro-mechanism of action of the silver dopant.