Influence of the different processing steps on the microstructure of PZT-based multilayer

A comparative study of the influence of both rheological and processing parameters on the microstructure and reliability of multilayer ceramic chips based on PZT has been conducted. The multilayer chips were obtained by tape casting. Viscosity measurements of different slurries with various solids content have been correlated with both the thickness and the green density of the casted layers. The critical points of the thermal treatments, organics burn-out and sintering, have been identified. The green microstructure of the layers and the final microstructure of the sintered chips have been studied by SEM.