Dielectric relaxation and giant dielectric constant of Nb-doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics under dc bias voltage

CaCu3Ti(4-x)Nb(x)O(12) (x = 0, 0.01, 0.08, 0.2) ceramics were fabricated by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The ceramics showed the body-centered cubic structure without any foreign phases and the grain size decreases with Nb doping. Two Debye-type relaxations were observed for the Nb-doped samples at low frequency and high frequency, respectively. The complex electric modulus analysis revealed that the surface layer, grains and grain boundaries contributed to the dielectric constant. The low-frequency dielectric constant relative to the surface layer decreased to a minimum and then increased with the dc bias voltage at 100 Hz, which were well explained in terms of a model containing two metal oxide semiconductors in series, confirming the surface layer in the ceramics. The shift voltage V-B corresponding to the minimal capacitance increased with increase of the composition x. (C) 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of Pb Volatilization on Dielectric Properties of 0.77PbMg1/3(Nb0.9Ta0.1)2/3O3-0.23PbTiO3

Lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) is an intriguing candidate for applications in many electronic devices such as multi-layer capacitors, electro-mechanical transducers etc. because of its high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and high strain near the Curie temperature. As an extension of our previous work on Ta-doped PMNT-PT aimed at optimizing the performance and reducing the cost, this paper focuses on the effect of Pb volatilization on the dielectric properties of 0.77Pb(Mg1/3(Nb0.9Ta0.1)2/3)O3-0.23PbTiO3. The dielectric constant and loss of the samples are measured at different frequencies and different temperatures. The phase purity of this compound is determined by X-ray diffraction pattern. It is found that the volatilization during sintering does influence the phase formation and dielectric properties. The best condition is sintering with 0.5 g extra PbO around a 4 g PMNT-PT sample.

Modulation of Photonic Bandgap and Localized States by Dielectric Constant Contrast and Filling Factor in Photonic Crystals

The band structure of 2D photonic crystals (PCs) and localized states resulting from defects are analyzed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique and Pade approximation. The effect of dielectric constant contrast and filling factor on photonic bandgap (PBG) for perfect PCs and localized states in PCs with point defects are investigated. The resonant frequencies and quality factors are calculated for PCs with different defects. The numerical results show that it is possible to modulate the location, width and number of PBGs and frequencies of the localized states only by changing the dielectric constant contrast and filling factor.

Ab initio study on the electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties of CaCu3V4O12

The electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties of CaCu3V4O12 are investigated by use of the density functional theory method. The calculated results indicate that CaCu3V4O12 is a half-metallic and ferrimagnetic compound. The magnetic coupling for Cu-V is antiferromagnetic, while those for Cu-Cu and V-V are ferromagnetic. The obtained elastic constants suggest that the compound is mechanically stable. The calculated oxidation states and density of states reveal the existence of a mixed valence for Cu and V. This supports the experimental observation of the mixed valence in Ca2+Cu2+Cu2+(V25+V24+)O-12.

Effect of the work function of gate electrode on hysteresis characteristics of organic thin-film transistors with Ta2O5/polymer as gate insulator

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) using high dielectric constant material tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) and benzocyclobutenone (BCBO) derivatives as double-layer insulator were fabricated. Three metals with different work function, including Al (4.3 eV), Cr (4.5 eV) and Au (5.1 eV), were employed as gate electrodes to study the correlation between work function of gate metals and hysteresis characteristics of OTFTs. The devices with low work function metal Al or Cr as gate electrode exhibited high hysteresis (about 2.5 V threshold voltage shift). However, low hysteresis (about 0.7 V threshold voltage shift) OTFTs were attained based on high work function metal Au as gate electrode.

Structural stability and magnetic coupling in CaCu3Co4O12 from first principles

The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of CaCu3Co4O12 were studied by use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The calculated results indicate that CaCu3Co4O12 is stable both thermodynamically and mechanically. Both GGA (generalized gradient approximation) and GGA + U methods predict that CaCu3Co4O12 is metallic. The ferromagnetic configuration is only slightly more stable in energy compared with the non-magnetic configuration (3.7 meV), suggesting that they are competitive for being the ground state. Co is in the low spin state (S = 1/2).

First-principles study on the conducting mechanism of the heavy-fermion system CaCu3Ru4O12

We investigated the electronic structure of the d-electron heavy-fermion system CaCu3Ru4O12 by use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. Our results indicate that the compound is a paramagnetic metal, in agreement with the experimental observation. The conductivity of the compound is governed by two main factors. One is the Ru-O dp pi coupling around the Fermi energy level, which makes Ru-O-Ru networks conductive. The other is the hybridization between the itinerant Ru 4d electrons and the localized Cu 3d (dz(2) and part of dx(2)-y(2) and dxy) electrons through O 2p orbitals in the energy region from -2.0 to -1.0 eV. The Ru-O-Cu interaction makes the localized Cu electrons start to be itinerant through the coupling with Ru 4d electrons. This results in Ru-O-Cu networks being conductive. Therefore, in the title compound, both Ru-O-Ru and Ru-O-Cu networks contribute to the conducting behavior.

Ferrimagnetic and half-metallic CaCu3Fe4O12: Prediction from first principles investigation

The structural stability and physical properties of CaCu3Fe4O12 were studied by the use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The authors' calculated result indicates that the title compound is stable both thermodynamically and mechanically. It is ferrimagnetic and half-metallic. The calculated magnetic structure reveals that the coupling of Cu-Fe is antiferromagnetic, while those of Cu-Cu and Fe-Fe are ferromagnetic.

Magnetic and electronic properties of CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 by first-principles density functional calculation

The electronic and magnetic properties of CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 are investigated by the use of the full-potential linearized augumented plane wave (FPLAPW) method. The calculated results indicate that CaCu3- Cr4O12 is a ferrimagnetic and half-metallic compound, in good agreement with previous theoretical studies. CaCu3- Cr2Sb2O12 is a ferrimagnetic semiconductor with a small gap of 0.136 eV. In both compounds, because Cr4+ 3d (d(2)) and Cr3+ 3d (d(3)) orbitals are less than half filled, the coupling between Cr-Cu is antiferromagnetic, whereas that between Cu-Cu and Cr-Cr is ferromagnetic. The total net spin moment is 5.0 and 3.0 mu(B) for CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12, respectively. In CaCu3Cr4O12, the 3d electrons of Cr4+ are delocalized, which strengthens the Cr-Cr ferromagnetic coupling. For CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12, the doping of nonmagnetic ion Sb5+ reduces the Cr-Cr ferromagnetic coupling, and the half-filled Cr3+ t(2g) (t(2g)(3)) makes the chromium 3d electrons localized. In addition, the ordering arrangement of the octahedral chromium and antimony ions also prevents the delocalization of electrons. Hence, CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 shows insulating behavior, in agreement with the experimental observation.

Organic thin-film transistors having inorganic/organic double gate insulators

Bottom-contact organic thin-film transistors (BC OTFTs) based on inorganic/organic double gate insulators were demonstrated. The double gate insulators consisted of tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) with high dielectric constant (kappa) as the first gate insulator and octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) with low kappa as the second gate insulator. The devices have carrier mobilities larger than 10(-2) cm(2)/V s, on/off current ratio greater than 10(5), and the threshold voltage of -14 V, which is threefold larger field-effect mobility and an order of magnitude larger on/off current ratio than the OTFTs with a Ta2O5 gate insulator. The leakage current was decreased from 2.4x10(-6) to 7.4x10(-8) A due to the introduction of the OTS second dielectric layer. The results demonstrated that using inorganic/organic double insulator as the gate dielectric layer is an effective method to fabricate OTFTs with improved electric characteristics.

Dielectric properties of Bi2Ti2O7 films grown on Si(100) substrate by APMOCVD

The growth of Bi2Ti2O7 films with (111) orientation on Si(100) substrate by atmospheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(APMOCVD) technique at 480similar to550 degreesC is presented. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, atomic force microscopy and electron diffraction. The results show high quality Bi2Ti2O7 films with smooth shinning surface. The dielectric properties and C-V characterization of the films were studied. The dielectric constant (epsilon) and loss tangent (tgdelta) were found to be 180 and 0.01 respectively. The charge storage density was 31.9fC/mum(2). The resistivity is higher than 1x10(12) Omega. .cm under the applied voltage of 5V. The Bi2Ti2O7 films are suitable to be used as a new insulating gate material in dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

Dielectric properties of Bi2Ti2O7 films grown on Si(100) substrate by APMOCVD

The growth of Bi2Ti2O7 films with (111) orientation on Si(100) substrate by atmospheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(APMOCVD) technique at 480similar to550 degreesC is presented. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, atomic force microscopy and electron diffraction. The results show high quality Bi2Ti2O7 films with smooth shinning surface. The dielectric properties and C-V characterization of the films were studied. The dielectric constant (epsilon) and loss tangent (tgdelta) were found to be 180 and 0.01 respectively. The charge storage density was 31.9fC/mum(2). The resistivity is higher than 1x10(12) Omega. .cm under the applied voltage of 5V. The Bi2Ti2O7 films are suitable to be used as a new insulating gate material in dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

Effect of La3+ on microwave dielectric properties of (Pb0.45Ca0.55) (Fe0.5Nb0.5)O-3 ceramics

In this work, microwave dielectric properties of A-site substitution by La3+ in (Pb0.45Ca0.55) (Fe0.5Nb0.5) 03 system were investigated. Microwave dielectric properties of A-site charge unbalance substitution of [(Pb0.45Ca0.55)(1-x) La-x] (Fe0.5Nb0.5)O-3(+) (P45CLFN) were improved because the solid solution of small amount of surplus La3+ with (Pb, Ca)(2+) could eliminate oxygen vacancies, and the formation of secondary phase (pyrochlore) was also caused by surplus La3+. The decreasing of dielectric constant with the increase of La3+ content is due to the formation of pyrochlore. The grain size is changed slightly and Q(f) values (7000 similar to 7300 GHz) are almost unchanged at x = 0.02 similar to 0.10, but the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) are increased and changed from negative to positive. TCF is zero at x 0.075 with Q(f) = 7267 GHz and K = 89. TCF of all specimens are within +/- 5 x 10(-6)degrees C-1.

Heteroepitaxial growth and annealing of gamma-Al2O3 thin films on silicon

The gamma-Al2O3 films were grown on Si (100) substrates using the sources of TMA (Al (CH3)(3)) and O-2 by very low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (VLP-CVD). It has been found that the gamma-Al2O3 film has a mirror-like surface and the RMS was about 2.5nm. And the orientation relationship was gamma-Al2O3(100)/Si(100). The thickness uniformity of gamma-Al2O3 films for 2-inch epi-wafer was less than 5%. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) results show that the crystalline quality of the film was improved after the film was annealed at 1000degreesC in O-2 atmosphere. The high-frequency C-V and leakage current of Al/gamma-Al2O3/Si capacitor were also measured to verify the annealing effect of the film. The results show that the dielectric constant increased from 4 to 7 and the breakdown voltage for 65-nm-thick gamma-Al2O3 film on silicon increases from 17V to 53V.

Dielectric response and its light-induced change in undoped alpha-Si : H films below 13 MHz

The low frequency (<13 MHz) dielectric response and its light-induced change in undoped a-Si:H were investigated in detail. The dielectric constant epsilon (the real part) in this range decreases with illumination time: following a stretched exponential law similar to that found for other light-induced changes. The saturation relative change was about 0.1-0.2 % for the measured samples. The change is fading away either after repeated illumination-annealing training or by aging at room temperature. The present results indicate some rearrangement of the whole Si network caused by light soaking.