Journal of Materials Science, Vol.43, No.3, 922-926, 2008
Raman investigation of the ageing of Ni-BaTiO3 multilayer ceramic capacitors
Ni-BaTiO3 multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) have been aged at 121 degrees C and 100% Relative Humidity for 2,600 h. Raman and energy dispersive spectral measurements have been made on both aged and unaged samples. Raman spectra indicate the presence of a coating of substoichiometric SnO (x) (1 < x < 2) in the aged samples. Morphological and elemental changes occurring in the MLCC were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Preliminary, frequency dependent dielectric measurements indicate that ageing causes a substantial decrease (about 50%) of the capacitance, even if only surfaces are affected by the ageing phenomenon.