Electrical Properties of Ca<Subscript>9</Subscript>ZnLi(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>7</Subscript> Ceramics Prepared by Reactive Pressureless Sintering

Well-crystallized Ca₉ZnLi(PO₄)₇ ceramics were prepared by reactive pressureless sintering at atmospheric pressure. The single-phase Ca₉ZnLi(PO₄)₇ ceramics were confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The dielectric and electrical properties were investigated over a wide frequency range (1 Hz to 1 MHz) by complex impedance spectroscopy at different temperatures between 25°C and 600°C. A dielectric anomaly was observed at 440°C, which might be related to the phase transition. The impedance Cole–Cole plot was used to analyze the results of complex impedance measurements, revealing that the electrical properties depend strongly on frequency and temperature. Two relaxation dispersions of the electrical parameters were found and analyzed in terms of bulk and grain-boundary ionic transfer processes. The slope of the alternating-current (AC) conductivity over a wide range of temperatures provides activation energies from 0.48 eV to 1.69 eV. These results suggest that the conduction process is of the mixed type.     

Dielectric Properties in the Microwave Range of K<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Na<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>NbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ceramics

Dielectric properties of a potassium sodium niobate (KNN) system in the microwave range up to GHz have rarely been studied. Since K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ is the most common and typical type of KNN materials, non-doped K_0.5Na_0.5 NbO₃ ceramics were synthesized at different temperatures (1080°C, 1090°C, 1100°C, and 1110°C) by a traditional solid reaction method for further characterization and analysis. The ceramics were in perovskite phase with orthorhombic symmetry. A small quantity of second phase was found in the 1110°C sintered specimen, which resulted from the volatilization of alkali oxides as the temperature increased. The complex permittivity was measured for the first time in the microwave range (8.2–12.4 GHz) and in the temperature range from 100°C to 220°C, and the effects of annealing on the dielectric properties were studied. The results indicate that the complex permittivity of KNN ceramics over the microwave range increases mainly due to high bulk density and the additional dielectric contributions of oxygen vacancies at high temperature.     

Thermal Stability of Barium and Indium Double-Filled Skutterudite Ba<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>In<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>Co<Subscript>3.95</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>Sb<Subscript>12</Subscript> Coated by SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoparticles

Filled skutterudite thermoelectric (TE) materials have been extensively studied to search for better TE materials in the past decade. However, there is no detailed investigation about the thermal stability of filled skutterudite TE materials. The evolution of microstructure and TE properties of nanostructured skutterudite materials fabricated with Ba_0.3In_0.2Co_3.95Ni_0.05Sb₁₂/SiO₂ core–shell composite particles with 3 nm thickness shell was investigated during periodic thermal cycling from room temperature to 723 K in this work. Scanning electronic microscopy and electron probe microscopy analysis were used to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of the nanostructured skutterudite materials. TE properties of the nanostructured skutterudite materials were measured after every 200 cycles of quenching in the temperature range from 300 K to 800 K. The results show that the microstructure and composition of Ba_0.3In_0.2Co_3.95Ni_0.05Sb₁₂/SiO₂ nanostructured skutterudite materials were more stable than those of single-phase Ba_0.3In_0.2Co_3.95Ni_0.05Sb₁₂ bulk materials. The evolution of TE properties indicates that the electrical and thermal conductivity decrease along with an increase in the Seebeck coefficient with increasing quenching up to 2000 cycles. As a result, the dimensionless TE figure of merit (ZT) of the nanostructured skutterudite materials remains almost constant. It can be concluded that these nanostructured skutterudite materials have good thermal stability and are suitable for use in solar power generation systems.     

Impedance Response and Dielectric Relaxation in Liquid-Phase Sintered Zn<Subscript>2</Subscript>SnO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Ceramics

Impedance/admittance and dielectric spectroscopy were used to investigate the effect of temperature on the electrical response of liquid-phase sintered Zn₂SnO₄-SnO₂ ceramics. The measurements were performed over a wide frequency range (100 Hz to 10 MHz) at different temperatures. The real and the imaginary part of the complex impedance traced semicircles in the complex plane. The resistance and the capacitance of bulk and grain-boundary regions were determined by modeling the experimental results using several equivalent circuits taking into account bulk deep trap states. Admittance complex diagrams were also determined in order to understand better the conduction mechanisms occurring in the polycrystalline Zn₂SnO₄-SnO₂ system.     

Optical Study of Filled Tetrahedral Compounds Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>AlN<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>GaN<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A detailed analysis of the optical properties of filled tetrahedral semiconductors Li₃AlN₂ and Li₃GaN₂ has been performed, using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method within the density functional theory. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function ε(ω), the optical absorption coefficient I(ω), the reflectivity R(ω), and the electron energy loss function are calculated within the random phase approximation. The interband transitions responsible for the structures in the spectra are specified. Looking at optical matrix element, we note that the major peaks are dominated by transition from metal s, N 2p states to N 2p, Ga 3d states. The theoretical calculated optical properties and electron energy loss spectrum yield a static dielectric constant of 5.34 and a plasmon energy of 19.47 eV for Li₃GaN₂. In the Li₃AlN₂ compound, the static dielectric constant decreases to 4.75 and yields a plasmon energy of 18.5 eV. The effect of spin–orbit coupling on the optical properties is also investigated and found to be quite small, especially in the low-energy region. In order to check the reliability of our calculations, analogous results obtained for Be₃N₂ in the same structure [space group Ia3(206)] are included in this work.     

Investigation of the Dielectric Permittivity and Electrical Conductivity of Ce<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The rare-earth semiconductor β-Ce₂S₃ compound samples were synthesized and their dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity were measured in the temperature range 90–400 K. The energy-band structure has been determined. It is shown that the long-known large electrical parameter spread of semiconductor compounds close in composition to Ce₂S₃ is explained by the structure of impurity donor levels formed by cerium atoms and ions with different ionization degrees.     

Study of dielectric processes in (As<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Bi<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> amorphous films

A comparative analysis of dielectric polarization processes in undoped and Bi-doped layers of modified As₂Se₃ has been performed. It is established that both the similarity and difference in polarization phenomena are due to specific features of the internal structure of studied materials. The mechanism of the observed effects is discussed.     

Dielectric,Impedance and Conduction Behavior of Double Perovskite Pr<Subscript>2</Subscript>CuTiO<Subscript>6</Subscript> Ceramics

Polycrystalline Pr₂CuTiO₆ (PCT) ceramics exhibits dielectric, impedance and modulus characteristics as a possible material for microelectronic devices. PCT was synthesized through the standard solid-state reaction method. The dielectric permittivity, impedance and electric modulus of PCT have been studied in a wide frequency (100 Hz–1 MHz) and temperature (303–593 K) range. Structural analysis of the compound revealed a monoclinic phase at room temperature. Complex impedance Cole–Cole plots are used to interpret the relaxation mechanism, and grain boundary contributions towards conductivity have been estimated. From electrical modulus formalism polarization and conductivity relaxation behavior in PCT have been discussed. Normalization of the imaginary part of impedance (Z″) and the normalized imaginary part of modulus (M″) indicates contributions from both long-range and localized relaxation effects. The grain boundary resistance along with their relaxation frequencies are plotted in the form of an Arrhenius plot with activation energy 0.45 eV and 0.46 eV, respectively. The ac conductivity mechanism has been discussed.     

Structure and dielectric properties of Ba<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>x</Subscript>ZnTi<Subscript>7</Subscript>O<Subscript>16</Subscript> hollandite ceramics

Hollandite-type Ba_1−xSr_xZnTi₇O₁₆ (x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1) ceramics have been synthesized by the conventional solid-state ceramic route. The phase purity and microstructure of these compositions have been characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD analysis shows that an increase in strontium concentration in the A-site causes pairing of vacant tunnel sites, and hence the structure becomes unstable due to the collapse of the tunnel walls. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant (ε_r), loss tangent (tan δ), and temperature variation of dielectric constant (τε_r) have been measured up to the 13 MHz region. The present study shows that zinc hollandites have relatively high dielectric constant and low loss tangent. The temperature variation of dielectric constant studies reveal that Ba-rich compositions have high positive τε_r and Sr-rich compositions have high negative τε_r in the 0–100°C region. Proper tailor making of these compositions has been attempted to arrive at near-zero temperature variation of the dielectric constant.     

Thermoelectric properties of the Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>0.7</Subscript> solid solution with <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-type conductivity

The thermoelectric properties of the Mg₂Ge_0.3Sn_0.7 solid solution doped with Ga and Li are studied. The samples with a hole concentration as high as 5 × 10²⁰ cm^–3 are obtained. The temperature dependences of the thermopower, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity are measured in the range from room temperature to 800 K. A higher mobility of free charge carriers is observed in the samples doped with lithium than in the samples doped with gallium. The largest thermoelectric figure of merit in the samples under study amounts to 0.42 at 700 K.     

Impedance Spectroscopy of Dielectric BaTi<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>11</Subscript> Film Prepared by Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition Method

BaTi₅O₁₁ film was prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrate by the laser chemical vapor deposition method. A single-phase BaTi₅O₁₁ film with ([`3] 22)/([`2] 23) (\overline{3} 22)/(\overline{2} 23) preferred orientation and columnar cross-section was obtained at high deposition rate (154.8 μm h⁻¹). The dielectric constant (ε _r) of the BaTi₅O₁₁ film was 21, measured at 300 K and 1 MHz. The electrical properties of the BaTi₅O₁₁ film were investigated by ac impedance spectroscopy from 300 K to 1073 K at 10² Hz to 10⁷ Hz. Plots of the real and imaginary parts of the impedance (Z′ and Z″) and electrical modulus (M′ and M″) in the above frequency and temperature range suggested the presence of two relaxation regimes, which were attributed to grain and grain boundary responses. The ac conductivity plots as a function of frequency showed three types of conduction process at elevated temperature. The frequency-independent plateau at low frequency was due to dc conductivity. The mid-frequency conductivity was due to grain boundaries, while the high-frequency conductivity was due to grains.     

High-Temperature Capacitor Based on Ca-Doped Bi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Na<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ceramics

High-temperature capacitors were prepared by the conventional oxide method based on Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-BaTiO₃-CaTiO₃ (BNT-BT-CT) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. BNT-BT is one of the promising candidates as a high-temperature relaxor, and has a high Curie temperature and broadened dielectric constant. The addition of CT increases the dielectric constant at lower temperatures and decreases the dielectric constant at higher temperatures, so that the variation of capacitance is decreased. The effect of BT on the temperature characteristic of dielectric constant is contrary to that of CT. A single-phase rhombohedral perovskite and square grains were obtained in this study. With the proper amount of BT and CT additions, the high-temperature specification can be met: from −55°C to 200°C, the variation of capacitance is within ±15% of room-temperature capacitance.     

Crystallization behavior and ferroelectric properties of PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Ba<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> sandwich thin film on Pt/Ti/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si substrates

A PbTiO₃/Ba_0.85Sr_0.15TiO₃/PbTiO₃ (PT/BST15/PT) sandwich thin film has been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by an improved sol-gel technique. It is found that such films under rapid thermal annealing at 700°C crystallize more favorably with the addition of a PbTiO₃ layer. They possess a pure, perovskite-phase structure with a random orientation. The polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis loop and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curves reveal that a PT/BST15/PT film exhibits good ferroelectricity at room temperature. However, no sharp peak, only a weak maximum, is observed in the curves of the dielectric constant versus temperature. The dielectric constant, loss tangent, leakage current density at 20 kV/cm, remnant polarization, and coercive field of the PT/BST15/PT film are 438, 0.025, 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Acm⁻², 2.46 μCcm⁻², and 41 kVcm⁻¹, respectively, at 25°C and 10 kHz. The PT/BST15/PT film is a candidate material for high sensitivity elements for uncooled, infrared, focal plane arrays (UFPAs) to be used at near ambient temperature.     

Ultra-Low Loss Microwave Dielectric Ceramic Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>5</Subscript> and Low-Temperature Firing Via B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Addition

Li₂Mg₂TiO₅, a rock-salt structured ceramic fabricated by a solid-state sintering technique, was characterized at the microwave frequency band. As a result, a microwave dielectric permittivity (ε_r) of 13.4, a quality factor of 95,000 GHz (at 11.3 GHz), and a temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (τ_f) of ? 32.5 ppm/°C have been obtained at 1320°C. Li₂Mg₂TiO₅ ceramics have low permittivity, a broad processing temperature region, and a low loss, making them potential applications in millimeter-wave devices. Furthermore, B₂O₃ addition efficiently lowered the sintering temperature of Li₂Mg₂TiO₅ to 900°C, which opens up their possible applications in low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) technology.     

Dielectric Relaxation in Thin Layers of the Ge<Subscript>28.5</Subscript>Pb<Subscript>15</Subscript>S<Subscript>56.5</Subscript> Glassy System

The results of studying dielectric relaxation processes in the Ge_28.5Pb₁₅S_56.5 glassy system are presented. The existence of the non-Debye relaxation process caused by the distribution of relaxors over the relaxation time according to the Cole–Cole model is revealed. The energy and structural parameters are calculated: the activation energy E_p = 0.40 eV and the molecular dipole moment μ = 1.08 D. The detected features are explained within the model according to which the chalcogenide-glass structure is a set of dipoles formed by charged defects such as D⁺ and D^–.     

Synthesis and Characterization of SrFe<Subscript>11.2</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript> Nanoparticles for Enhanced Microwave Absorption

SrFe₁₂O₁₉/ZnFe₂O₄ (SrFe_11.2Zn_0.8O₁₉) nanoparticles having superparamagnetic nature were synthesized by coprecipitation of chloride salts using 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution. The resulting precursors were heat-treated at 900°C and 1200°C for 4 h in nitrogen atmosphere. During heat treatment (HT), transformation proceeds through instantaneous nucleation and three-dimensional diffusion-controlled growth with an activation energy of 175.9 kJ/mole. The hysteresis loops showed an increase in saturation magnetization from 1.044 emu/g to 61.227 emu/g with increasing HT temperature. As-synthesized particles had sizes in the range of 20 nm to 25 nm with spherical shape. Further, these spherically shaped nanoparticles tended to change their morphology to hexagonal plate and pyramidal shape with increasing HT temperature. The effects of this systematic morphological transformation of nanoparticles on dielectric (complex permittivity and permeability) and microwave absorption properties were estimated in the X-band (8.2 GHz to 12.2 GHz). The maximum reflection loss of the composite powder reached −29.81 dB at 10.37 GHz, making it suitable for application in radar-absorbing materials.     

Dielectric properties of low loss Ba<Subscript>6−3x</Subscript>Nd<Subscript>8+2x</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>18</Subscript>O<Subscript>54</Subscript> thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition for microwave applications

Ba_6−3xNd_8+2xTi₁₈O₅₄ with x=0.25 (BNT-0.25, or simply, BNT) dielectric thin films with a thickness of 320 nm have been prepared on Pt-coated silicon substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at the substrate temperature of 650°C in 20 Pa oxygen ambient. X-ray analysis showed that the as-deposited films are amorphous and the films remain amorphous after a postannealing at 750°C for 30 min. The dielectric constant of the BNT films has been determined to be about 80 with a low loss tan δ of about 0.006 at 1 MHz. The capacitance-voltage (C-V), capacitance-frequency, and capacitance-temperature characteristics of a BNT capacitor with Pt top electrode were measured. A low leakage-current density of 4×10⁻⁶ A/cm² at 6 V was measured, and a preliminary discussion of the leakage-current mechanism is also given. It is proposed that amorphous BNT-0.25 thin films will be a potential dielectric material for microwave applications.     

Reflectance spectra of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Sn crystals in a wide IR region

The reflectance spectra of a p-Bi₂Te₃:Sn crystal are recorded in the range 50–7900 cm^–1. The spectra possess features characteristic of charge-carrier plasma oscillations and a contribution of phonons. It is shown that the dielectric function that is used in the context of Drude–Lorentz theory and includes the contributions of hole plasma oscillations and two phonons adequately describes the experimental data obtained at room temperature and at a temperature of T = 78 K.     

Thermoelectric Properties of Spark Plasma-Sintered In<Subscript>4</Subscript>Se<Subscript>3</Subscript>-In<Subscript>4</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We report the thermoelectric properties of spark plasma-sintered In₄Se₃-In₄Te₃ materials. For comparison, pure In₄Se₃ and In₄Se₃ (80 wt.%)/In₄Te₃ (20 wt.%) mixture samples were prepared. In₄Se₃ and In₄Te₃ powders were synthesized by a conventional melting process in evacuated quartz ampoules, and a spark plasma method was used for the sintering of the pure In₄Se₃ and mixture samples. Thermoelectric and structural characterizations were carried out, and the mixing effect of In₄Se₃ and In₄Te₃ on the thermoelectric properties was investigated.     

Microwave Dielectric Properties of ZnO-2TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> Ceramics with BaCu (B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>) Addition

The influence of BaCu(B₂O₅) (BCB) addition on the sintering temperature and microwave dielectric properties of ZnO-2TiO₂-Nb₂O₅ (ZTN) ceramic has been investigated using dilatometry, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and microwave dielectric measurements. A small amount of BCB addition to ZTN can lower the sintering temperature from 1100°C to 900°C. The reduced sintering temperature was attributed to the formation of the BCB liquid phase. The ZTN ceramics containing 3.0 wt.% BCB sintered at 900°C for 2 h have good microwave dielectric properties of Q × f = 19,002 GHz (at 6.48 GHz), ε _r = 45.8 and τ _f  = 23.2 ppm/°C, which suggests that the ceramics can be applied in multilayer microwave devices, provided that Ag compatibility exists.