Dielectric Properties Lab
Description
The laboratory is dedicated to characterizing the dielectric and conductive properties of a wide range of materials over a range of conditions.
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One system consists of a desktop computer interfaced with an HP 4284A (20Hz to 1MHz) LCR meter, a Fluke 8840A DMM, a Delta Design 9023 temperature chamber and a variety of sample fixtures installed in dedicated chamber doors. Multi-sample fixtures have a temperature range of (-180°C) to 200°C and are available for up to eight specimens in many configurations including parallel plate solid dielectrics, leaded components and thin films. Single sample holders have an operating temperature range of (-180°C) to 250°C.
A second system consists of a desktop computer interfaced with an Agilent 4284A (20Hz to 1MHz) LCR meter, an HP 34401A DMM and two temperature stages. The first stage holds eight samples and has a temperature range of (-130°C) to 400°C. The second can hold three samples and has a temperature range of room temperature to 750°C. Both fixtures have solid noble metal electrodes for long-term reliability at elevated temperatures.
The measurements are entirely automated with the desktop computer controlling the temperature of the various stages and recording the material property at intervals chosen by the user. The systems automatically accommodate a wide range of electrical impedances from highly doped semiconductors or superconductors to very small capacitance dielectrics. Additions can be made to the measurement systems to allow the application of up to 4,000V of DC bias or to increase the applied AC field to as much as 1,000 V rms. The complex permittivity of a material can be characterized to a frequency as low as 0.001 Hz using an available Stanford Research digital lock-in amplifier.
A third system is also interfaced to a desktop computer and can make many of the same measurements as the first system. In addition to the LCR meters, the system also includes an HP4140 pico-ammeter and voltage source for DC current and resistance measurements. Samples can be tested for pyroelectric and other thermally stimulated current emissions and can be tested for current release over a period of time under DC field (resistance measurements).
Another system is used to make measurements of impedance spectra. A desktop computer is interfaced to an HP 4194A Impedance Analyzer and can characterize the impedance of a material from 10 Hz to several tens of MHz. This is used most often to measure the resonance spectra of piezoelectrics. The system can be used over a wide temperature range but the measurement is not automated over the temperature range.
Equipment that is intended to be used manually includes an HP 4191A for dielectric measurements to 1 GHz, an HP fast Fourier transformer dynamic signal analyzer, and a Stanford Research digital lock-in analyzer which can be used for impedance measurements from 1 mHz to 1 kHz.
Measurements in the dielectric property laboratory are typically preformed by users of the facility. A professional staff is available to assist users.
Rates
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Other Information
Technical documentation available at www.personal.psu.edu/pjm112.