| Abstract Scope |
ZnO varistors are integral devices in electronic circuitry serving as overvoltage protection. With the miniaturization of electronic components, it is pertinent for varistor devices to follow suit. Integral to varistor performance is Eb, the electrical breakdown field, which increases with the number of grains parallel within a varistor. By decreasing grain size, varistor devices can similarly follow suit. However, for ZnO based varistors, conventional and more modern sintering techniques have difficulty limiting grain growth, because of liquid phase sintering within the system. The Cold Sintering Process (CSP) is a promising technique for the fabrication of high electrical breakdown field varistors due to its extremely low sintering temperature, and unique solvent-ceramic interactions, which greatly limits grain growth. This study explores the sintering of ZnO with dopants, with a view towards fabrication of high performance varistor devices via the CSP. |