The advancement of communication technologies demands dielectric materials with superior performance characteristics, particularly low permittivity and minimal dielectric loss. This study investigates Ge4+-substituted willemite ceramics, including Zn2Si1-xGexO4 (ZS-xGe, x=0 and 0.1) and Zn1.8Si1-yGeyO3.8 (ZS-yGe, y=0 to 0.3), synthesized via the conventional solid-state method. The non-stoichiometric design effectively suppresses the formation of ZnO. The intrinsic and extrinsic losses of the ZS-xGe ceramics are separated by a systematic comparative analysis of the dielectric losses in the terahertz band, and the extrinsic losses are fitted by the Drude term in the Lorentz-Drude dielectric response model. Consequently, ZS-yGe ceramics exhibit lower εr and significantly improved Q×f values across microwave to terahertz band. In ZnO-free ceramics, Ge4+ substitution enhances the ionic polarizability, the unit cell volume and the bond strain, increasing εr and Q×f values (decreasing intrinsic losses), and decreasing τf. The optimized Zn1.8Si0.9Ge0.1O3.8 ceramics demonstrate superior dielectric properties with εr = 6.66, Q×f = 225,500 GHz and τf = -60.0 × 10-6℃-1 at 12.45 GHz, and εr = 7.02, Q×f = 401,800 GHz at 1 THz. These novel ceramics are positioned as promising candidates for next-generation microwave and terahertz communication devices.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |