A voltage-nonlinear resistor element 10 includes a voltage-nonlinear resistor (referred simply as “resistor”) 20 and a pair of electrodes 14 and 16 between which the resistor 20 is interposed. The resistor 20 has a multilayer structure including a first layer 21 composed primarily of zinc oxide, a second layer 22 composed primarily of zinc oxide, and a third layer 23 composed primarily of a metal oxide other than zinc oxide. The second layer 22 is adjacent to the first layer 21 and has a smaller thickness and a higher volume resistivity than the first layer 21. The third layer 23 is adjacent to the second layer 22.

Both single phase lead-free cubic pyrochlore bismuth zinc niobate (BZN)-based dielectric materials with a chemical composition of Bi.sub.1.5Zn.sub.(0.5+y)Nb.sub.(1.5−x)Ta.sub.(x)O.sub.(6.5+y), with 0≦x<0.23 and 0≦y<0.9 and films with these average compositions with Bi.sub.2O.sub.3 particles in an amorphous matrix and a process of manufacture thereof. The crystalline BZNT-based dielectric material has a relative permittivity of at least 120, a maximum applied electric field of at least 4.0 MV/cm at 10 kHz, a maximum energy storage at 25° C. and 10 kHz of at least 50 J/cm.sup.3 and a maximum energy storage at 200° C. and 10 kHz of at least 22 J/cm.sup.3. The process is a wet chemical process that produces thin films of Bi.sub.1.5Zn.sub.(0.5+y)Nb.sub.(1.5−x)Ta.sub.(x)O.sub.(6.5+y) without the use of 2-methoxyethanol and pyridine.

The aim of the present invention lies in providing a dielectric composition which has a relatively high dielectric constant of 800 or greater, and which has relatively low dielectric loss of 4% or less when a DC bias of at least 8 V/ym is applied, and also in providing a dielectric element employing said dielectric composition, an electronic component, and a laminated electronic component. A dielectric composition having a main component represented by (Bi.sub.aNa.sub.bSr.sub.cBa.sub.d) (α.sub.xTi.sub.1-x) O.sub.3, characterized in that a is at least one selected from Zr and Sn; and a, b, c, d and x satisfy the following: 0.140≦a≦0.390, 0.140≦b≦0.390, 0.200≦c≦0.700, 0.020≦d≦0.240, 0.020≦x≦0.240 and 0.950<a+b+c+d≦1.050.

Electronic devices are produced from dielectric compositions comprising a mixture of precursor materials that, upon firing, forms a dielectric material comprising a barium-strontium-titanium-tungsten-silicon oxide.

To provide a zinc oxide-based varistor that exhibits adequate characteristics without using antimony. Disclosed is a sintered body for a varistor, including zinc oxide as a main component; 0.6 to 3.0 mol % of bismuth oxide in terms of bismuth (Bi); 0.2 to 1.4 mol % of cobalt oxide in terms of cobalt (Co); 0.1 to 1.5 mol % of chrome oxide in terms of chrome (Cr); and 0.1 to 1.5 mol % of manganese oxide in terms of manganese (Mn), wherein the contents of antimony (Sb), a rare earth element and tin (Sn) are not more than a level of impurities.

The present disclosure relates to a method for obtaining lead-free piezoelectric materials, including: Step S100, adjusting the T/O phase boundary of a first lead-free piezoelectric material: for the first lead-free piezoelectric material, adjusting the T/O phase boundary between the tetragonal phase T and the orthorhombic phase O to be near the room temperature by doping; Step S200, further adjusting the C/T phase boundary and the O/R phase boundary: further adjusting the C/T phase boundary between the cubic paraelectric phase C and the tetragonal phase T, and the O/R phase boundary between the orthorhombic phase O and the rhombohedral phase R by doping, so as to enable the C/T phase boundary and the O/R phase boundary to approach the T/O phase boundary; and Step S300, obtaining second lead-free piezoelectric materials: obtaining multiple second lead-free piezoelectric materials with different piezoelectric constants d.sub.33 and different Curie temperatures T.sub.C in the process.

A transparent optical element may include a layer of an electroactive ceramic disposed between transparent electrodes, such that the electrodes are each oriented perpendicular to a non-polar direction of the ceramic layer. Optical properties of the optical element, including transmissivity, haze, and clarity may be improved by the application of a voltage to the electroactive ceramic, and an associated phase transformation.

A semiconductor ceramic composition represented by formula (1),

(Ba.sub.vBi.sub.xA.sub.yRE.sub.w).sub.m(Ti.sub.uTM.sub.z)O.sub.3  (1),

wherein, A represents at least one element selected from Na and K, RE represents at least one element selected from Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy and Er;

0.750y≦x≦1.50y  (2),

0.007≦y≦0.125  (3),

0≦(w+z)≦0.010  (4),

v+x+y+w=1  (5),

u+z=1  (6),

0.950≦m≦1.050  (7),

0.001 to 0.055 mol of Ca is contained, and 0.0005 to 0.005 mol of at least one selected from Mg, Al, Fe, Co, Cu and Zn is contained.

A semiconductor ceramic composition which is a BaTiO.sub.3 based semiconductor ceramic composition, wherein, part of Ba is replaced by at least A (at least one alkali metal element selected from Na and K), Bi and RE (at least one element selected from rare earth elements including Y), and part of Ti is replaced by at least TM (at least one element selected from the group including of V, Nb and Ta), the relationships of 0.7≦{(the content of Bi)/(the content of A)}≦1.43, 0.017≦{(the content of Bi)+(the content of A)}≦0.25, and 0<{(the content of RE)+(the content of TM)}≦0.01 are satisfied when the total content of Ti and TM is set as 1 mol, the grain sizes have a maximum peak in a grain size distribution in a range of 1.1 μm to 4.0 μm or less, and the distribution frequency of the peak is 20% or more.

A ferrite composition comprises a main component and a subcomponent. The main component includes 32.0 to 46.4 mol % of iron oxide in terms of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, 4.4 to 14.0 mol % of copper oxide in terms of CuO, and 8.4 to 56.9 mol % of zinc oxide in terms of ZnO. The subcomponent includes 0.53 to 11.00 parts by weight of a silicon compound in terms of SiO.sub.2, 0.1 to 12.8 parts by weight of a tin compound in terms of SnO.sub.2, and 0.5 to 7.0 parts by weight of a bismuth compound in terms of Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the main component.