Some Crystal Physical Generalizations

Aging in crystal oscillators generally refers to any change over time that affects the frequency characteristics of the oscillator or the physical parameters that describe the device, for example, motional time constant and equivalent circuit parameters. Some factors that influence aging include surface deterioration, surface contamination, electrode composition, and environmental conditions. 

One is inclined to think of materials as being solids when editing an encyclopedia of materials some years ago, I found it required an effort of imagination to include articles on various aspects of water, and on inks. Yet one of the most important families of materials in the general area of consumer electronics are liquid crystals, used in inexpensive displays, for instance in digital watches and calculators. They have a fascinating history as well as deep physics. 

A number of chemical elements, mainly oxygen and carbon but also others, such as tin, phosphorus, and sulfur, occur naturally in more than one form. The various forms differ from one another in their physical properties and also, less frequently, in some of their chemical properties. The characteristic of some elements to exist in two or more modifications is known as allotropy, and the different modifications of each element are known as its allotropes. The phenomenon of allotropy is generally attributed to dissimilarities in the way the component atoms bond to each other in each allotrope either variation in the number of atoms bonded to form a molecule, as in the allotropes oxygen and ozone, or to differences in the crystal structure of solids such as graphite and diamond, the allotropes of carbon. 

The methods used to convert these vat dyes into a suitable physical form (and in some cases, crystal structure) for use as pigments have been carefully guarded industrial secrets, revealed only in patents. The general principles are clear, however. One method is to reduce the vat dye in the usual manner to bring it into solution and then to re-precipitate it under very carefully controlled conditions. The other is to subject the dye to a fine grinding operation. Whichever approach is used, the aim is to reduce the mean particle size to below 1 J,m (1000 nm). 

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