As known from Eq. (1), MLCCs have h

As known from Eq. (1), MLCCs have higher capacitance value using dielectric materials with higher εr. For practical applications, MLCCs should show reliable operation with high capacitance from -55 to 150 °C according to the EIA standard (Table 1). As ferroelectric materials show the maximum value of εr at the Curie temperature, we plotted the dielectric permittivity versus the Curie temperature of the ferroelectric materials in Fig. 3.16-28 The Curie temperature of many ferroelectric materials is above 150 oC, which is beyond the EIA standard. In the range of -55 and 150 oC, PMN-PT and BaTiO3 have a relatively higher value ofεr than others. However, PMNPT is not an appropriate candidate for dielectric materials for MLCCs because the volatilization of Pb metal and the reaction with base metal electrodes occurs seriously during sintering at reducing atmosphere. In addition, there are environmental issues due to its toxicity.29-32 Therefore, considering the dielectric permittivity and operation temperature, BaTiO3 is the most suitable candidate, and conventional MLCCs that have been fabricated are based on BaTiO3.