The electronic characterization of magnesium oxide

If one takes a broad perspective view of present-day ceramic electronic materials technology, we find that MgO is in the group of linear dielectric materials. It is used over wide extremes of (a) temperature (from cryogenic to plasma), (b) frequencies (d-c to Gigacycle range), (c) voltages (d-c, a-c, low-to-high), (d) different environments (space vacuum, ambient, gaseous), (e) under irradiation conditions (u-v, alpha, beta-ray, gamma-ray, x-ray, electron, proton, cosmic ray, (f) for various time durations (microseconds to several years, pulsed and non-pulsed). To meet such application design criteria, a designer must have a first-hand knowledge of the behavior of MgO under all these varied conditions either singly or in multiple combinations. He cannot look at one set of properties such as the electrical and ignore the mechanical or thermal. He must further be aware that ceramic electronic materials (e) are available in a variety of forms (single crystal, bicrystal, polycrystalline, thin film, amorphous); (2) can be processed by a number of different techniques (sintering, hot pressing, slip casting, hydrostatic, isostatic), (3) have properties which can be influenced by processing variables (effect of pressure on compacting or pressing, firing atmospheres such as vacuum, air, inert gases, hydrogen, cooling rates, quenching effects); (4) have properties which can be influenced by impurities (unintentional or deliberately added giving interstitial effects, solid solution effects); (5) have properties which can be influenced by particle size distribution (which in turn has an effect on densification amount of crystalline phased present, fine or coarse grain produced); (6) can be influenced by heat treat and thermal aging effects (time and temperature on grain growth, grain boundary precipitation and depletion, pre- and post-treatment); (7) are subject to plastic deformation effects (static-and dynamic-producing dislocations); (8) and finally are susceptible to voltage and field effects. The extent to which the above variables are parameters affect the electrical and electronic properties of MgO is the basis of my characterization study. Since I have not progressed very far in this project and only completed the literature survey phase, I can only give you a few highlights and general outline of its scope.