ABSTRACT
Densification behavior of semiconducting perovskite materials processed by microwave sintering technique is investigated. The temperature required to density the materials in this process is generally around 200°C lower than that used in the conventional furnace sintering process. The soaking time deemed necessary is also substantially shorter. The activation energy for diffusion of the species is estimated to be one order of magnitude smaller in the microwave-sintering process. Moreover, the electrical properties of the materials were substantially improved by the post-processes after microwave sintering, which is not possible in the conventional process. The defect chemistry involved in this process is also discussed.
