Dielectric Properties and an EPR Study of Cu- or Zr-Doped BaTiO₃ Ceramics

The EPR spectra of Cu-or Zr-doped BaTiO3 ceramics exhibited absorption signals with g∥=2.380 and g⊥=2.063 which are assigned to Ba1+(Ba2+ + e'→Ba1+) ion reduced by an electron that was produced from the oxygen vacancy (VO..). The intensity of these signals decreased as the temperature increased indicating that Ba1+ was changed to Ba2+ as the temperature increased. These ceramics also showed the EPR signal with g=1.997 around TC which arises from ionized Ba-vacancies, VBa'(VBa + e'→VBa'. In the orthorhombic and tetragonal phase region g=1.997 signal was not seen. The electrons generating from the oxidation of Ba1+ and ionized Ba-vacancies may contribute to a space charge which is responsible for a dielectric relaxation of these samples.