Nonlinear current－voltage characteristics of sintered tungsten－vanadium oxide

We have studied the densification behaviour, microstructure and electrical properties of WO_3 ceramics with V_2O_5 as the additive ranging from 0.5 to 15mol%. Scanning electron microscopic photos indicated that the grain size of WO_3－V_2O_5 specimens is smaller than that of pure WO_3. The addition of V_2O_5 to WO_3 showed a tendency to enhance the densification rate and to restrict the grain growth. Electrical properties of all specimens were measured for different electrodes at different temperatures. The formation of the grain boundary barrier layer was confirmed by the non-ohmic I－V behaviour. The nonlinear coefficient was obtained at the current density J=0.01, 0.1 and 1mA/cm^2 for a series of WO_3－V_2O_5 samples. The V0.5mol% specimen showed an abnormal phenomenon that the nonlinear characteristics appeared at 350℃ and disappeared at lower and higher temperatures. This implies that it could be applied as a high-temperature varistor. The double Schottky barrier model was adopted to explain the phenomena for the WO_3-V_2O_5 varistors.     

Nonlinear electrical characteristics and dielectric properties of Ca,Ta-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> varistors

Ca,Ta-doped TiO₂ varistors with high nonlinear coefficients are obtained by a ceramic sintering. The nonlinear electrical and dielectric properties of the samples doped with 0.5mol% Ca and various concentrations of Ta (0.05∼2.0mol%) were investigated. The samples sintered at 1350 °C have nonlinear coefficients of α=5.1∼42.1 and high relative dielectric constants approach 10⁵. The effects of Ta-doping on the nonlinear and dielectric properties of the Ca,Ta-doped TiO₂ varistors are studied in greater detail. When the concentration of Ta is 0.5mol%, the sample possesses the highest nonlinear coefficient and a comparatively lower dielectric constant. The effects of Ta and the nonlinear electrical behavior of the TiO₂ system are explained by analogy to a grain-boundary atomic defect model. Received: 24 October 2001 / Accepted: 8 January 2002 / Published online: 3 May 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +86-10/826-49531, E-mail: wangwanyan@yahoo.com.cn     

Grain size effect on the giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors of Bi1/2Na1/2Cu3Ti4O12 ceramics

Single phase Bi_1/2Na_1/2Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (BNCTO) ceramics with different grain sizes (1.4–4.3 μm) are prepared by a modified Pechini method to investigate their giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors. The results show that the giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors are strongly dependent on grain size. With the increment of grain size, the dielectric constant increases monotonically from 14110 (for 1.4 μm sample) to 36183 (for 4.3 μm sample) at 1 kHz, in accompaniment with the breakdown voltage reducing from 112.5 to 43.2 V/mm and the nonlinear coefficient reducing from 4.9 to 3.4. On the basis of the internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) model and the IBLC model of Schottky-type potential barrier, an interpretation of the grain size effect on the giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors is presented.     

Electrical and dielectric properties of Na_(1/2)La_(1/2)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12) ceramics prepared by high energy ball-milling and conventional sintering

We report on the measurements of the electrical and dielectric properties of Na_(1/2)La_(1/2)Cu_3Ti_4O_(12)(NLCTO) ceramics prepared by high energy ball-milling and conventional sintering without any calcination steps. The x-ray powder diffraction analysis shows that pure perovskite-like CCTO phase is obtained after sintering at 1025?C–1075?C. Higher sintering temperatures result in multi-phase ceramics due to thermal decomposition. Scanning electron microscope observations reveal that the grain size is in a range of ~ 3 μm–5 μm for these ceramics. Impedance spectroscopy measurements performed in a wide frequency range(1 Hz–10 MHz) and at various temperatures(120 K–470 K) are used to study the dielectric and electrical properties of NLCTO ceramics. A good compromise between high ε(5.7 × 10~3 and 4.1 × 10~3 at 1.1 k Hz and 96 k Hz, respectively) and low tan δ(0.161 and 0.126 at 1.1 k Hz and 96 k Hz, respectively) is obtained for the ceramic sintered at 1050℃. The observed high dielectric constant behavior is explained in terms of the internal barrier layer capacitance effect.     

Effect of Li2O on the structure,electrical and dielectric properties of xLi2O·(20−x)CaO·30P2O5·30V2O5·20Fe2O3 glasses

Glasses of the general formula xLi₂O·(20?x)CaO·30P₂O₅·30V₂O₅·20Fe₂O₃ with x=0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mol% were prepared; IR, density, electrical and dielectric properties have been investigated. Lithia-containing glasses revealed more (P₂O₇)^4?, FeO₆, V–O^? and PO^? groups and mostly have lower densities than those of lithia-free ones. The electrical properties showed random behavior by replacing Li₂O for CaO, which has been assigned to the change of the glass structure. The results of activation energy and frequency-dependent conductivity indicate that the conduction proceeds via electronic and ionic mechanisms, the former being dominant. The mechanism responsible for the electronic conduction is mostly thermally activated hopping of electrons from Fe(II) ions to neighboring Fe(III) sites and/or from V⁴⁺ to V⁵⁺. The dielectric constant (ε′) showed values that depend on the structure of glass according to its content of Li₂O. The (ε′) values are ranging between 3 and 41 at room temperature for 1 kHz, yet at high temperatures, glass with 20 mol Li₂O exhibits values of 110 and 3600 when measurement was carried out in the range 0.1–1 kHz, and at 5 MHz, respectively.     

Enhanced dielectric and nonohmic properties of SrTiO3-modified CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

Dielectric and nonohmic properties of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics can be modified by addition of SrTiO₃ (STO) in different molar proportions which were fabricated by a modified sol-gel method. XRD results indicated that all modified ceramics showed mixed phase consisting of both CCTO and STO. SEM images and grain size distribution probability also presented the change of microstructure with the addition of STO. The dielectric loss of the CCTO/0.4STO ceramics sintered at 1000 °C can be lower than 0.02 in a wide frequency (1 kHz–10 kHz), especially at 1 kHz, the dielectric loss of this sample is as low as 0.012. Furthermore, excellent nonlinear I–V electrical characteristic (high breakdown voltage to 54.15 kV/cm for CCTO/0.4STO sintered at 1000 °C) was observed as well. All the results indicated that the addition of STO does improve the dielectric properties and nonohmic characteristics of CCTO ceramics dramatically.     

Improvement of sintering,nonlinear electrical,and dielectric properties of ZnO-based varistors doped with TiO_2

The effects of TiO_2 on sintering and nonlinear electrical properties of(98.5-x)ZnO–0.5MnO_2–0.5Co_2O_3-0.5Bi_2O_(3–x)TiO_2(x = 0.3,0.5,0.7,0.9 mol%) ceramic varistors prepared by the ceramic technique are investigated in this work.The optimum sintering temperature of the prepared samples is deduced by determining the firing shrinkage and water absorption percentages.The optimum sintering temperature is found to be 1200℃,at which each of the samples shows a maximum firing shrinkage and minimum water absorption.Also minimum water absorption appears in a sample of x = 0.9 mol%.Higher sintering temperature and longer sintering time give rise to a reduction in bulk density due to the increased amount of porosity between the large grains of ZnO resulting from the rapid grain growth induced by the liquid phase sintering.The crystal size of ZnO decreases with increasing TiO_2 doping.The addition of TiO_2 improves the nonlinear coefficient and attains its maximum value at x = 0.7 mol% of TiO_2,further addition negatively affects it.A decrease in capacitance consequently in the dielectric constant is recorded with increasing the frequency in a range of 30 kHz–200 kHz.The temperature and composition dependences of the dielectric constant and AC conductivity are also studied.The increase of temperature raises the dielectric constant because it increases ionic response to the field at any particular frequency.     

脉冲激光沉积法制备钛酸锶钡薄膜及其光电性质

用脉冲激光沉积技术制备了钛酸锶钡(Ba0.5Sr0.6TiO3薄膜.用X射线光电子能谱和原子力显微镜分别分析了薄膜的化学组分和表面形貌.在交流信号为50 mV和100 kHz时测量了薄膜的介电系数和介电损耗随外加电场的变化关系,得出最高的介电可调率达到45%.利用单光束纵向Z扫描的方法研究了薄膜的非线性光学性质,得到非线性折射率为5.04×10-6cm2/kW,非线性吸收系数为3.59×10-6m/W,测量所用光源的波长为532 nm,脉宽为55 ps,表明Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3薄膜有较快的非线性光学响应.     

The dc and ac properties of potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate

The complex potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate {K₃(Fe(C₂O₄)₃ · 3H₂O)} was synthesised and characterised by energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrical and dielectric properties of the complex pellet were studied by ac- and dc-techniques in room temperature and in a temperature range of 293–373 K. The data of the ac conductivity as a function of frequency in a frequency range of 1–100 kHz follow the correlated barrier hopping CBH model and the parameters of the model were determined and connecting them with the optical properties. The temperature dependence of dc conductivity shows that the semiconducting behaviour of conduction phenomenon in the complex is realised by hopping mechanism between localised states and the minimum hopping distance was determined. High relative permittivity of about 30 at 100 kHz was obtained for the complex, which can find technological applications like alternative for the SiO₂ insulator in MOS devices.     

Barium silicate modified strontium bismuth tantalate ferroelectric thin films

Novel strontium bismuth tantalate (Sr_0.8Bi_2.2Ta₂O₉ (SBT)) modified with 3 and 5 mol% ratio barium silicate (Ba₂SiO₄) thin films were grown on Pt(100?nm)/Ti(50?nm)/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by spin coating technique. The influence of barium silicate doping in SBT was studied from the view point of changing dielectric and ferroelectric properties like dielectric constant (ε_r) and remnant polarization (P_r). Well crystallized thin films showed convenient ferroelectric properties with comparatively lower P_r in the range between 1.52 and 0.44 µC/cm² and smaller ε_r value of 163. Thus, with such reduced values of P_r and ε_r barium silicate modified SBT offers a useful potential to be used in Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistor (FeFET) type (1T-type) Ferroelectric Random Access Memories (FeRAMs) upon improving insulation properties.     

Generation of uniform atmospheric pressure argon glow plasma by dielectric barrier discharge

In this paper, atmospheric pressure glow discharges (APGD) in argon generated in parallel plate dielectric barrier discharge system is investigated by means of electrical and optical measurements. Using a high voltage (0–20 kV) power supply operating at 10–30 kHz, homogeneous and steady APGD has been observed between the electrodes with gap spacing from 0.5 mm to 2 mm and with a dielectric barrier of thickness 2 mm while argon gas is fed at a controlled flow rate of 1 l/min. The electron temperature and electron density of the plasma are determined by means of optical emission spectroscopy. Our results show that the electron density of the discharge obtained is of the order of 10¹⁶ cm^???3 while the electron temperature is estimated to be 0.65 eV. The important result is that electron density determined from the line intensity ratio method and stark broadening method are in very good agreement. The Lissajous figure is used to estimate the energy deposited to the glow discharge. It is found that the energy deposited to the discharge is in the range of 20 to 25 μJ with a discharge voltage of 1.85 kV. The energy deposited to the discharge is observed to be higher at smaller gas spacing. The glow discharge plasma is tested to be effective in reducing the hydrophobicity of polyethylene film significantly.     

Influences of different structures on the characteristics of H_2O-based and O_3-based La_xAl_yO films deposited by atomic layer deposition

H_2O-based and O_3-based La_xAl_yO nanolaminate films were deposited on Si substrates by atomic layer deposition(ALD). Structures and performances of the films were changed by different barrier layers. The effects of different structures on the electrical characteristics and physical properties of the La_xAl_yO films were studied. Chemical bonds in the La_xAl_yO films grown with different structures and different oxidants were also investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The preliminary testing results indicate that the La_xAl_yO films with different structures and different oxidants show different characteristics, including dielectric constant, equivalent oxide thickness(EOT), electrical properties, and stability.     

Influences of different oxidants on characteristics of La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates deposited by atomic layer deposition

A comparative study of two kinds of oxidants(H_2O and O_3) with the combination of two metal precursors(TMA and La(~iPrCp)_3) for atomic layer deposition(ALD) La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates is carried out. The effects of different oxidants on the physical properties and electrical characteristics of La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates are studied. Initial testing results indicate that La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates could avoid moisture absorption in the air after thermal annealing. However, moisture absorption occurs in H_2O-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates due to the residue hydroxyl/hydrogen groups during annealing. As a result, roughness enhancement, band offset variation, low dielectric constant and poor electrical characteristics are measured because the properties of H_2O-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates are deteriorated. Addition thermal annealing effects on the properties of O_3-based La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates indicate that O_3 is a more appropriate oxidant to deposit La_2O_3/Al_2O_3 nanolaminates for electron devices application.     

Comparison between AlN and Al_2O_3 ceramics applied to barrier dielectric of plasma actuator

This paper reports the material characterization and performance evaluation of an AlN ceramic based dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) plasma actuator. A conventional Al_2O_3 ceramic is also investigated as a control. The plasma images,thermal characteristics and electrical properties of the two actuators are compared and studied. Then, with the same electrical operating parameters(12-kV applied voltage and 11-kHz power frequency), variations of the surface morphologies,consumed power and induced velocities are recorded and analyzed. The experimental results show that the AlN actuator can produce a more uniform discharge while the discharge of the Al_2O_3 actuator is easier to become filamentary. The later condition leads to higher power consumption and earlier failure due to electrode oxidation. In the plasma process,the power increment of the AlN actuator is higher than that of the Al_2O_3 actuator. The induced velocity is also influenced by this process. Prior to aging, the maximum induced velocity of the AlN actuator is 4.2 m/s, which is about 40% higher than that of the Al_2O_3 actuator. After 120-min plasma aging, the maximum velocity of the aged AlN actuator decreases by 27.8% while the Al_2O_3 actuator registers a decrease of 25%.     

有序组装超薄膜热释电性能的优化研究

报道两亲性染料半花菁(DAEP)与隔层材料氮冠醚(NC)交替LB膜的热释电效应以及掺杂金属离子（Ba2+）对LB膜热释电性能的影响.发现所测样品的热释电系数p高达58μCm-2K-1；在频率为1kHz—100kHz的范围内，其εr和tanδ的数值分别为2.34—1.96和0.08—0.04.并讨论了不同成膜方式和掺杂金属离子Ba2+对LB膜热释电性能影响的物理机理.     

Crystallization kinetics and growth mechanism of Pb(Zr0.52·Ti0.48)O3 nanopowders

In this study, Pb(Zr_0.52·Ti_0.48)O₃ nanopowders were synthesized via sol–gel process. Particle morphology, crystalline phases and thermal behavior were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and simultaneous thermal analyzer, respectively. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed perovskite phase clearly. The non-isothermal activation energy for the perovskite crystallization in Pb(Zr_0.52·Ti_0.48)O₃ gel powders was 224.91 kJ mol^?1. Both growth morphology parameter (n) and crystallization mechanism index (m) are close to 3.0, indicating that the bulk nucleation is dominant in the perovskite PZT formation. To determine dielectric properties, the calcined Pb(Zr_0.52·Ti_0.48)O₃ nanopowders were pressed using uniaxial press. It was found that the Pb(Zr_0.52·Ti_0.48)O₃ disks, by sintering at 1,200 °C for 2 and 10 h, and at 1 kHz frequency, had 966 and 1,490 of the dielectric constant, respectively.     

Swift heavy ion induced capacitance and dielectric properties of Ni/n-GaAs Schottky diode

The in-situ capacitance and dielectric properties of 25 MeV C⁴⁺ ion irradiated Ni/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diode (SBD) were studied at 100 kHz in the fluence range 5 × 10¹⁰ – 5 × 10¹³ ions/cm². The investigation shows reduction in capacitance and charge density with increase in ion fluence. Consequent changes were observed in other related parameters like conductance, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, loss tangent and electrical modulus. The results were interpreted in terms of generation of swift heavy ion induced acceptor trap states by electronic energy loss mechanism. Besides, the switch over characteristics of depletion to inversion regions in the CV plot reveals minority carrier recombination centers also. The dispersion and relaxation peaks observed in bias dependent dielectric plots were ascribed to the polarization and relaxation mechanism due to the interfacial trap states. The traps and recombination centers were found to alter the barrier characteristics of the fabricated SBD depending upon the ion fluence.     

Characteristics of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films grown by ultraviolet-assisted pulsed laser deposition

The microstructure and properties of barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films grown by an in situ ultraviolet-assisted (UV-assisted) pulsed laser deposition (UVPLD) technique are reported in this paper. In comparison with BST films grown by conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD) under similar conditions, but without UV illumination, the UVPLD-grown films exhibited improved structural, electrical, and optical properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that when exposed to atmosphere, Ba atoms from the outermost layers formed a thin layer of barium carbonate, which negatively affects the film electrical characteristics. UVPLD-grown films exhibited a smaller amount of Ba atoms within the carbonate layer, resulting in better electrical characteristics. The dielectric constant of 40-nm-thick films deposited at 650 °C by UVPLD and PLD were determined to be 281 and 172, respectively. The leakage current density of the UVPLD-grown films was in the mid-10^-8 A/cm² range, a factor of 2 lower than that obtained from PLD-grown films.     

Effect of sintering temperature on structure and nonlinear dielectric properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 ceramics prepared by the citrate method

Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ ceramics were prepared by a citrate precursor method. The structure and nonlinear dielectric properties of the resulting ceramics were investigated within the sintering temperature range 1200-1300 °C. Adopting fine Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ powder derived from the citrate method was confirmed to be effective in reducing the sintering temperatures required for densification. The ceramic specimens sintered at 1230-1280 °C presented relative densities of around 95%. A significant influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure and nonlinear dielectric properties was detected. The discrepancy in nonlinear dielectric behavior among the specimens sintered at different temperatures was qualitatively interpreted in terms of the dielectric response of polar micro-regions under bias electric field. The specimens sintered at 1230 and 1250 °C attained superior nonlinear dielectric properties, showing relatively low dielectric losses (tan δ) of 0.24% and 0.22% at 10 kHz together with comparatively large figure of merits (FOM) of 121 and 142 at 10 kHz and 20 kV/cm, respectively.     

Electrical properties and conduction mechanism in the sodium nickel diphosphate

The Na_3.6Ni_2.2(P₂O₇)₂ compound was obtained by the conventional solid-state reaction. The sample was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and vibrational and impedance spectroscopy. The AC electrical conductivity and the dielectric relaxation properties of this compound have been investigated by means of impedance spectroscopy measurements over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures, 209 kHz–1 MHz and 564–729 K, respectively. Dielectric data were analyzed using complex electrical modulus M* at various temperatures. The peak positions ω _m of M″ spectra shift toward higher frequencies with increase in temperature. The AC conductivity data fulfill the power law. Application of the correlated barrier hopping model revealed that the ionic conduction takes place by single-polaron and bipolaron hopping processes.