Physics of Dielectric Materials

Tareev, B. Physics of Dielectric Materials. Moscow Mir Publishers 1975... 

For the physical description of the microwave properties of dielectric materials and metals we consider Maxwell s equations in the absence of localized charges ... 

National Physical Laboratory (2003) Characterisation of Dielectric Materials at RF and Microwave Frequencies, London, Institute of Measurement Control. 

Table 5-2. Physical and harzard properties of common gaseous sources for CVD of dielectric materials.

There are two mechanisms by which microwaves interact with reaction mixtures [7]. Polarization of dielectric material arises when the distribution of an electron cloud is distorted or physical rotation of molecular dipoles occurs. For generation of heat on irradiation with microwaves, at least one component of a reaction mixture must have a dipole moment. Compounds with high dipole moments also have large dielectric constants, e. The selectivity of microwave irradiation is clear when comparing the heating of water and hexane. Water, a polar solvent, has a high dielectric constant and therefore heats rapidly on microwave irradiation whereas hexane, a nonpolar solvent, heats very slowly. 

The physical quantities essential to understanding the electric properties of dielectric materials are briefly described in the following paragraphs. 

Cladding The layer of dielectric material that immediately surrounds the core of an optical fiber, the combination of which is fundamental to the abihty of optical fiber to guide light at certain wavelengths. The cladding material for telecommunications grade optical fibers usually consists of a silica glass that cannot be physically separated from the core. 

This book is intended for a wide range of scientists, including experimental physicists, electronic engineers, and physical chemists. University research workers and students, specializing in the physics of dielectrics and crystals, will also find useful information here. Some of the data on liquid crystal materials may be of interest to theoretical physicists. 

As the theory of LPS provides a fairly general and physically sound basis to develop models for the dielectric behavior of sorbent-sorbate systems, we here will present some of its main results. These then are used to develop an electric network model which includes the well-known Debye model of dielectric materials as a special case [6.24]. Another approach to model dielectric properties of solid sorption systems has been discussed by Coelho in [6.29], which however will not be considered here. 

The external static electric field applied to a dielectric material induces fire polarisation P, that is the dipole moment per unit volume. For low fields P is prt rtional to the electric field E [1>3], P = 8o(8s - 1) E, where 8s is the relative dielectric permittivity or dielectric constant and 8o is the dielectric permittivity of free space. All these quantities concom the macroscopic volume of the dielectric medium. In order to relate them to the relevant microscopic param ers (for example dipole moment and polarisability) the local electric field Eioc acting on a molecule must be known. The relation between Eioc and E is the crucial problem of the physics of dielectrics and has not been solved in general. For isotropic fluids the Onsager theory is commonly used [4]. 

In this section we consider electromagnetic dispersion forces between macroscopic objects. There are two approaches to this problem in the first, microscopic model, one assumes pairwise additivity of the dispersion attraction between molecules from Eq. VI-15. This is best for surfaces that are near one another. The macroscopic approach considers the objects as continuous media having a dielectric response to electromagnetic radiation that can be measured through spectroscopic evaluation of the material. In this analysis, the retardation of the electromagnetic response from surfaces that are not in close proximity can be addressed. A more detailed derivation of these expressions is given in references such as the treatise by Russel et al. [3] here we limit ourselves to a brief physical description of the phenomenon. 

Polarization which can be induced in nonconducting materials by means of an externally appHed electric field is one of the most important parameters in the theory of insulators, which are called dielectrics when their polarizabiUty is under consideration (1). Experimental investigations have shown that these materials can be divided into linear and nonlinear dielectrics in accordance with their behavior in a realizable range of the electric field. The electric polarization PI of linear dielectrics depends linearly on the electric field E, whereas that of nonlinear dielectrics is a nonlinear function of the electric field (2). The polarization values which can be measured in linear (normal) dielectrics upon appHcation of experimentally attainable electric fields are usually small. However, a certain group of nonlinear dielectrics exhibit polarization values which are several orders of magnitude larger than those observed in normal dielectrics (3). Consequentiy, a number of useful physical properties related to the polarization of the materials, such as elastic, thermal, optical, electromechanical, etc, are observed in these groups of nonlinear dielectrics (4). 

Uses. The chemical inertness, thermal stability, low toxicity, and nonflammability of PFCs coupled with their unusual physical properties suggest many useflil applications. However, the high cost of raw materials and manufacture has limited commercial production to a few, small-volume products. Carbon tetrafluoride and hexafluoroethane are used for plasma, ion-beam, or sputter etching of semiconductor devices (17) (see loN implantation). Hexafluoroethane and octafluoropropane have some applications as dielectric gases, and perfluorocyclobutane is used in minor amounts as a dielectric fluid. Perfluoro-1,3-dimethyl cyclohexane is used as an inert, immersion coolant for electronic equipment, and perfluoro-2-methyldecatin is used for... 

Antireflection coatings are used over the silicon surface which, without the coating, reflects ca 35% of incident sunlight. A typical coating consists of a single layer of a transparent dielectric material with a refractive index of ca 2, which is between the index of siUcon and ait or cover material. Materials such as titanium dioxide, tantalum pentoxide, Ta20, or siUcon nitride, Si N, ca 0.08-p.m thick are common. The coating and a physically textured... 

I. Bunget and M. Popescu, "Physics of SoUd Dielectrics," in C. Laird, ed.. Materials Science Monographs, Vol. 19, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1978, Translation, V. Vasilescu, 1984. 

The resistance of most plastics to the flow of direct current is very high. Both surface and volume electrical resistivities are important properties for applications of plastics insulating materials. The volume resistivity is the electrical resistance of the material measured in ohms as though the material was a conductor. Insulators will not sustain an indefinitely high voltage as the applied voltage is increased, a point is reached where a drastic decrease in resistance takes place accompanied by a physical breakdown of the insulator. This is known as the dielectric strength, which is the electric potential in volts, which would be necessary to cause the failure of a 1/8-in. thick insulator (Chapter 4, ELEC-TRICAL/ELECTR ONICS PRODUCT). 

The dielectric constant is the ratio of the capacity of a condenser made with a particular dielectric to the capacity of the same condenser with air as the dielectric. For a material used to support and insulate components of an electrical network from each other and ground, it is generally desirable to have a low level of dielectric constant. For a material to function as the dielectric of a capacitor, on the other hand, it is desirable to have a high value of dielectric constant, so that the capacitor may be physically as small as possible. 

An important class of materials that originates from the precursor core-shell particles is hollow capsules. Hollow capsules (or shells ) can be routinely produced upon removal of the core material using chemical and physical methods. Much of the research conducted in the production of uniform-size hollow capsules arises from their scientific and technological interest. Hollow capsules are widely utilized for the encapsulation and controlled release of various substances (e.g., drugs, cosmetics, dyes, and inks), in catalysis and acoustic insulation, in the development of piezoelectric transducers and low-dielectric-constant materials, and for the manufacture of advanced materials [14],... 

The dielectric strength of an insulator is the electric field strength at which it physically breaks down and begins to conduct electricity. High values are required when the material will experience high electrical stresses, such as those found in the insulation surrounding power transmission cables. Dielectric strength decreases as temperature and humidity increase. It also decreases with time, due to the creation of conductive paths on the surface of the material. 

---