| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/L58309/01 |
| Title: |
IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF CAPACITOR FERROELECTRICS BY THIN FILM MULTILAYER FABRICATION |
| Principal Investigator: |
Gregg, Professor J |
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| Department: |
Sch of Mathematics and Physics |
| Organisation: |
Queen's University of Belfast |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
10 June 1997 |
Ends: |
09 June 2000 |
Value (£): |
50,028
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Property anomalies are often observed when materials undergo phase transformations. One such anomaly is the sharp increase in dielectric constant associated with perovskite ferroelectric materials at their Curie Point. Sharp temperature dependence means that the Curie Peak behaviour cannot be fully exploited in commercial capacitors. 'Relaxor' ferroelectrics are the exception. Nanoscale inhomogeneity in relaxors means that regions undergo Curie Point behaviour at different temperatures, broadening transformation and giving some level of temperature independent behaviour. Normally it would be expected that a broadening of the dielectric constant peak would correspond to a lowering in peak value, but in relaxors this is not the case. It is suspected that the reason for this is that inhomogeneities in relaxors occur on a nanoscale. It is proposed that relaxor behaviour be duplicated by fabricating thin film multilayers of different ferroelectric materials, reproducing nanoscale heterogeneity. The dielectric response of these thin multilayers will be compared to that of relatively thick film mixtures. The ability to fabricate 'artificial relaxors' would mean that some of the more rigorous industrial capacitor specifications could be met without sacrifice in dielectric constant.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.qub.ac.uk |