Inhomogeneity of Grain Boundaries of ZnO Varistor

The zinc oxide varistor with a low threshold voltage and large grain size was derived with ZnO crystalline seeds from a molten salt process The chemical composition and I-V characteristics of single grains and single grain boundaries were determined by means of energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) and microcontact measurement respectively. Temperatu re dependence of dielectric loss at various frequencies and voltage dependence of capacitance were carefully measured. Based on these experimental data. the barrier heights of giain boundaries are estimated to be 0.2. 0.5 and 0.6 eV respectively corresponding to thick, th in and direct contact grain boundaries. In addition. a computerized electrical circuit simufation is employed in simulating I-V characteristics of single grain boundary within ZnO varistor. By adjustjng parameters of resistor and diode, a general agreement between the measured data and simulated curves is achieved