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High dielectric constant materials are of technological importance as they lead to the miniaturization of the electronic devices. For instance, in the case of memory devices based on capacitive components, such as static and dynamic random access memories, the dielectric constant will ultimately decide the level of miniaturization. In this context, the observation of anomalously high dielectric constant (>10) in the double perovskite Sr2SbMnO6 (SSM) over wide frequency (100 Hz1 MHz) and (190373 K) temperature range has attracted a great deal of attention. However, unfortunately their dielectric losses were also high which limit their use for possible capacitor and related applications. The dielectric loss however was known to decrease with decreasing crystallite size in electroceramics. Therefore, the present work has been focused on the synthesis of nanocrystalline SSM powders by moltensalt route. The characterization of the ceramics fabricated from these powders for their microstructural and dielectric properties. A cubic phase of SSM powder was obtained by calcining the as synthesized powders at 900°C/10h by using sulphate flux. The crystallite size was ~ 60 nm. The activation energy associated with the particle growth was found to be 95 ± 5 kJmol-1 . The ceramic sintered at 1075°C/16h exhibited high dielectric constant (>10at 1 kHz) with low loss (0.72 at 1 kHz) at room temperature. The results are interpreted in terms of a twolayer model with conducting grains partitioned from each other by poorly conducting grain boundaries. Using this model, we attributed the two electrical responses in impedance and modulus formalisms to the grain and grain boundary effects, respectively, while the detected Debyelike relaxation and large dielectric constant were explained in terms of MaxwellWagner relaxation.

This paper describes how water content reflectometers (WCRs) were analyzed to develop a calibration equation. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique is the most prevalent method in in-situ moisture monitoring; and WCR is a type of low frequency TDR sensors, which is sensitive to soil type. Developing soil-specific calibration and investigating different environmental effects on WCR calibration is important. This study focused on investigation of the soil dry density and temperature effects on WCR calibration in RMA soil. Two series of tests to develop soil-specific calibration with dry density and temperature offset were conducted. Results from testing program showed that WCR response was positive related to volumetric water content, dry density, and temperature. Equations were developed to illustrate the response-density-temperature-moisture relation. Application to a field site was also presented to illustrate the difference in volumetric water contents obtained by using manufacturer method and the calibration procedure drawn in this paper. / text

Owing to the large electric-field-dependent permittivity, ferroelectric thin films have attracted a great deal of attention on applications in miniature tunable microwave components with high performance and cost reduction, such as phase shifters, tunable oscillators, delay lines, and antennas. These tunable devices require large change in the dielectric constant with applied field and a low loss at microwave frequencies. As one of the promising ferroelectric materials, barium strontium titanate thin film, especially Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) films, have raises great research interests due to its high dielectric constant, which is tunable in an external electric field, combined with relative low loss at microwave frequencies. Tunable microwave components, such as phase shifter, based on the BST films have been widely investigated. Since the polarization, the significant characterization of ferroelectrics, is very sensitive to distortion in crystal structure of ferroelectrics, strain can be effectively utilized to tailor the dielectric properties of BST films. Due to the lattice-mismatch from the substrate and various deposition conditions, epitaxial BST thin film usually contains residual strain generated during film growth. Strain control by improved deposition technique and implementing thermal treatment as well as choosing suitable substrate has attracted intensive attentions in ferroelectric film fabrication. Theory predicts that high dielectric properties can be achieved when free strain or slightly tensile strain left in the BST thin film at room temperature. Microwave application, such as phase shifter, also expects the enhanced tunability by an applied electric field. In this dissertation, single crystalline BST thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on SrTiO3 and DyScO3 substrates were studied. The crystal structure characteristics, including lattice parameters and film strain, were determined using X-ray diffraction. A new growth technique, three-step technique, was introduced and implemented into BST thin film deposition. The application of this new technique in deposition dramatically reduced the compressive strain in the films. We use microwave measurements on coplanar waveguides to evidence the improvement on dielectric properties achieved by tailoring the film strain. Additionally, we studied the BST film deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with introducing a sputtered seed layer of BST thin film. Compared with the BST film directly deposited on the substrate by PLD deposition, the films with a seed layer showed a large enhancement on the dielectric constant and tunability. The discussion on the change in film strain and dielectric performance of the PLD deposited films further proved the influence of film strain on dielectric properties. We discussed the design, fabrication, and measurement of coplanar waveguide transmission lines as phase shifters fabricated BST films. The thin BST films (~700 nm) on DyScO3 substrates deposited by sputtering demonstrated that the three-step deposition technique improved differential phase shift and microwave figure of merit to a great extent. The introduction of the sputtered seed layer into the PLD deposition of a thicker BST film (~2.15 μm) showed a dramatically enhancement on differential phase shift and microwave figure of merit. The enhanced performance on different series of BST films in microwave frequencies is consistent with the improvement on crystal structure, especially with the change in film strain.

Engineers know well from an early point in their training the trials and tribulations of having to make design tradeoffs in order to optimize one performance parameter for another. Discovering tradeoff conditions that result in the elimination of a loss associated with the enhancement of some other parameter (an improvement over a typical tradeoff), therefore, ushers in a new paradigm of design in which the constraints which are typical of the task at hand are alleviated. We call such a design paradigm “tuning” as opposed to “trading off”, and this is the central theme of this work. We investigate two types of microwave electronic devices, namely GaN-based heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) and tunable ferroelectric-ferrite-based microwave phase shifters. The “tuning” associated with these types of devices arises from the notion of an optimal 2DEG density, capable of achieving higher performance in terms of electron velocity and enhanced reliability in the case of the HFET, and the coupling of ferroelectric and ferrite materials in tunable microwave phase shifters, capable of achieving high differential phase shifts while at the same time mitigating the losses associated with impedance mismatching which typically arise when the phase is tuned. Promises and problems associated with HFET devices based on the intriguing InAlN/GaN material system will be described. We focus on the fundamental problem associated with the induction of the large density of carriers at the interface, namely the disintegration of an excess of longitudinal optical phonons (hot phonons) in the channel. We use microwave measurements in conjunction with stress tests to evidence the existence of an optimal 2DEG density wherein the hot phonon effect can be “tuned,” which allows for enhanced high frequency performance as well as device reliability. Next, we focus on the design, fabrication, and measurement of tunable phase shifters consisting of thin films of BaxSr1-xTiO3 (BST), which has the advantage of having high dielectric tunability as well as relatively low microwave loss. We discuss the design, fabrication, and measurement of a simple coplanar waveguide (CPW) type of phase shifter as well as a more complicated “hybrid” phase shifter consisting of a ferrite (YIG) in addition to BST. The use of such a bilayer allows one to “tune” the impedance of the phase shifters independently of the phase velocity through careful selection of the DC biasing magnetic fields, or alternatively through the use of an additional piezoelectric layer, bonded to YIG whose permeability can then be tuned through magnetostriction.

No presente trabalho descreve-se: a determinação da permitividade dielétrica complexa através de medidas de fase; a aplicação de técnicas de correlação e análise em séries de Fourier, para a determinação da fase, amplitude, qualidade e deformação do sinal atrasado; os circuitos eletrônicos do medidor de fase e do oscilador de U.B.F. programável; a programação desenvolvida em FORTRAN IV e MACRO-ASSEMBLER para o computador PDP 11/45, utilizado para operar o medidor de fase e o oscilador de U.B.F. / In the present work we describe: the determination of the complex dielectric permittivity by phase shift measurements; the application of correlation and Fourier series analyses to determine the phase shift, amplitude, quality and deformation of the shifted signal; the designed electronic hardware of the phase meter and programmb1e ultra-low frequency oscillator; the developed software written in FORTRAN IV and MACRO- ASSEMBLER for PDP 11/45, to operate the phase meter

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology has existed for many decades, but it has only been in the last 20 to 30 years that it has undergone great development for use in near surface ground investigations. The early 1980's saw the first major developments in the application of GPR for pavements (i.e. engineered structures designed to carry traffic loads), and it is now an established investigation technique, with generic information included in several national standard guidance documents. Analysis of GPR data can provide information on layer depths, material condition, moisture, voiding, reinforcement and location of other features. Assessing the condition of pavements, in order to plan subsequent maintenance, is essential to allow the efficient long-term functioning of the structure and GPR has enhanced and improved the range and certainty of information that can be obtained from pavement investigations. Despite the recent establishment of the technique in pavement investigation, the current situation is one in which GPR is used routinely for pavement projects in only a minority of countries, and the specialist nature of the technique and the sometimes variable results that are obtained can mean that there is both a lack of appreciation and a lack of awareness of the potential information that GPR can provide. The fact that GPR is still a developing technique, and that many aspects of its use are specialised in their nature, means that there are also several technical aspects of GPR pavement investigations which have not been fully researched, and knowledge of the response of GPR to some material conditions has not been fully established. The overall aim of this EngD research project was to provide improved pavement investigation capabilities by enhancing the methodologies and procedures used to obtain information from GPR. Several discrete research topics were addressed through various research methods including a literature review, fieldwork investigations, experimental laboratory investigations and a review of previously collected data. The findings of the research allowed conclusions and recommendations to be made regarding improved fieldwork methodologies, enhancing information and determining material condition from previously collected GPR data, assessing the effect of pavement temperature and moisture condition on GPR data and also on managing errors and uncertainty in GPR data. During the EngD project, a number of documents and presentations have been made to publicise the findings both within the EngD sponsoring company (Jacobs) and externally, and an in-house GPR capability has been established within Jacobs as a direct result of the EngD project.

Certos solos não saturados ao serem umedecidos experimentaram bruscas reduções de volume, sob cargas praticamente constantes. O fenômeno é atribuído a um colapso de estrutura do solo, donde a designação de solo colapsível. Essa redução de volume pode ocorrer sob a ação do próprio peso do solo, mas é mais comum ocorrer quando o solo está sujeito a um carregamento adicional. Muitos dos problemas de recalques nas áreas urbanas e industrias na Região Sudeste do Brasil estão associados ao colapso dos solos. Deformações induzidas por umedecimento (colapso) têm sido reportados como decorrrentes de vazamentos oriundo das redes de esgoto e de abastecimento de água. Porém, pouco se sabe sobre a influência de vazamentos de diferentes efluentes químicos nesse fenômeno e em outros fenômenos eventualmente associados com a dispersão dos solos. Neste trabalho, analisa-se o comportamento colapsível de dois solos típicos do interior do Estado de São Paulo, considerando diferentes soluções como líquido inundante. Utilizaram-se substâncias orgânicas e inorgânicas com o intuito de verificar a interferência de algumas propriedades químicas destas soluções (pH, constante dielétrica, concentração e temperatura) no comportamento colapsível dos solos. Para evitar a ação dos fluídos químicos na dispersão dos solos, realizou-se o \"pinhole test\". Análises porosimétricas por intrusão de mercúrio foram utilizadas para identificar mudanças ocorridas nos poros das amostras após os ensaios edométricos. Para a análise estrutural, foram analisadas lâminas delgadas em microscópio óptico. Verificou-se que a presença de um agente dispersivo na solução tende a influenciar o potencial de colapso dos solos. A constante dielétrica, o pH e a concentração mostraram-se influentes para alguns fluídos de saturação. Os resultados dos \"pinholes tests\" revelaram que o fluxo das diferentes soluções não provocou a dispersão do solo. Ensaios de porosimetria ) por intrusão de mercúrio indicaram que as deformações por colapso resultam de uma redução do volume de macroporos. A análise das lâminas delgadas mostrou diferentes facetas dos processos ocorrentes em nível estrutural, como diminuição considerável dos poros e modificações no plasma para as amostras inundadas com as soluções defloculantes de hexametafosfato de sódio e hidróxido de sódio. / Some non saturated soils show considerable volume reduction when wetted under constant loads. The phenomenon is attributed to soil structure collapse, thus the designation collapsible soils;. Volume reduction upon wetting can arise under soil self weight, but it is more common when the soil is subjected to an additional load. Many settlement problems in urban and industrial areas in Southern Brazil are associated to soil collapse. Wetting induced strains (collapse) have been related to water and sewer leakage. However little is known about the influence of different effluent leakage from industrial plants in the phenomenon and in other related phenomenon such as soil dispersion. This work deals with the collapsible behavior of two typical soils from the state of São Paulo assessed by means of wetting both soils with different chemical solutions. Organic and inorganic solutions were applied, aiming to verify the interference of some physic-chemical properties of the solutions (pH, dielectric constant, concentration, temperature) in the collapse behavior of the soils. The soil dispersion was evaluated through pinhole tests, where the same solutions used in the collapse tests were applied in the leaching procedures. Thin sections and mercury porosimetry of the soils were used to study the soil structural features. It is shown that the dielectric constant and the pH tends to influence the collapse potential of the soils when some solutions are concerned. Mercury intrusion tests have revealed that collapse deformations are related to macropores volume reduction. Thin sections have shown some features of the occurring processes on a structural levei, such as pore reductions and changes in fine matrix for the soil samples soaked with sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium hydroxide solution.

A dispersão e absorção das ondas eletromagnéticas que se propagam através de um material dielétrico podem ser medidas ao longo de uma ampla região do espectro que se estende desde a região de freqüências extremamente baixas até a região óptica incluindo as faixas das microondas, objeto de interesse do presente estudo. Dentre os dielétricos, incluem-se os materiais cristalinos e amorfos isolantes e semicondutores. Os vidros de composições (1-x)(60\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND.5\'.\'40\'BA\'\'O).x(\'M\'\'O\'), (1-X)(25\'LI IND. 2\'\'O\'.25\'NA IND. 2\'\'O\'.50\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND. 5\').x(\'M\'\'O\') e 60\'B IND. 2\'\'O IND. 3\'.30\'BA\'\'O\'.\'10\'AL IND. 2\'\'O IND. 3\' onde x é a concentração (mol%) de óxido do metal de transição \'FE\' ou \'CO\' (\'M\'\'O\'), foram escolhidos para representar o comportamento das propriedades dielétricas dos vidros óxidos, tanto na região das freqüências mais baixas (0 - 100 MHz), como na faixa de microondas (2 - 30 GHz). Os íons de metais de transição, quando ocupam posições intersticiais da rede vítrea, como ocorre com os elementos modificadores alcalinos e alcalinoterrosos atuam como compensadores de carga junto às unidades estruturais tetraédricas eletricamente carregadas, formando dipolos permanentes locais, contribuindo para a constante dielétrica do vidro. A polarização desses dipolos, quando submetido ao campo elétrico oscilatório de uma onda eletromagnética, atinge valores maiores às freqüências mais baixas decrescendo gradualmente à medida que estas atingem a região de microondas. Um novo método alternativo foi desenvolvido para a medida da temperatura da transição vítrea (\'T IND. g\') utilizando técnicas de microondas. Mostramos que a posição da inflexão do gráfico da constante dielétrica em função da temperatura do vidro 25\'LI IND. 2\'\'O\'.25\'NA IND. 2\'\'O\'.50\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND. 5\' medida em 9 GHz, na faixa de temperaturas em torno de \'(270 \'+ OU -\' 10) GRAUS\' C coincidiu com o valor da \'T IND. g\' deste vidro obtida por análise térmica diferencial (DTA). Outro método também foi desenvolvido para monitorar o resfriamento do vidro em função do tempo a partir do estado liquido até a solidificação, registrando o sinal de microondas refletido sobre o material vertido no interior de um guia de ondas. Pudemos observar, também, mudanças no espectro de ressonância paramagnética eletrônica (EPR) do vidro fosfato contendo níquel após ter sido irradiado com diferentes níveis de potência das microondas, por cerca de duas horas. Este efeito pode estar relacionado com mecanismos de acoplamento de spins paramagnéticos. Os espectros de transmissão de microondas das amostras de vidros fosfatos contendo diferentes concentrações de cobalto, bário, ferro e manganês, obtidos por meio de uma varredura de freqüências desde 7 até 13 GHz, mostraram a presença de uma intensa atenuação do sinal próximo de 9,7 GHz. Essa atenuação diminuiu conforme aumenta a concentração dos modificadores. / The dispersion and absorption of electromagnetic waves that propagate through a dielectric material can be measured along a wide spectral region ranging from extremely low frequency to the optical region, including microwaves one, which is the subject of interest of the present study. Among dielectrics, there are crystalline and amorphous materials that can be either insulators or semiconductors. Glasses of compositions (1-x)(60\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND.5\'.\'40\'BA\'\'O).x(\'M\'\'O\'), (1-X)(25\'LI IND. 2\'\'O\'.25\'NA IND. 2\'\'O\'.50\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND. 5\').x(\'M\'\'O\') and 60\'B IND. 2\'\'O IND. 3\'.30\'BA\'\'O\'.\'10\'AL IND. 2\'\'O IND. 3\', where x is the concentration (mol %) of the \'FE\' or \'CO\' (\'M\'\'O\') transition metal oxide, were selected to investigate the behavior of the dielectric properties of oxide glasses in the lower frequency range (0 - 100 MHz) and in the microwave region (2- 30 GHz). When transition metal ions occupy interstitial positions in the glass matrix, as it happens with the regular alkaline and alkaline-earth modifier ions, they compensate the electrically charged tetrahedral structural units. As a consequence, local permanent dipoles are formed, contributing to the dielectric constant of the glass. The polarization of these dipoles, when submitted to an oscillating electromagnetic field, is higher at lower frequencies and decreases gradual1y as the frequency approaches the microwave region. An alternative new method was developed to measure the glass transition temperature (\'T IND. g\') using microwave techniques. It was shown that the inflexion position of the dielectric constant of the glass 25\'LI IND. 2\'\'O\'.25\'NA IND. 2\'\'O\'.50\'P IND. 2\'\'O IND. 5\' measured at 9 GHz, in the temperature range about \'(270 \'+ OU -\' 10) GRAUS\' C, coincided with the \'T IND. g\' value obtained by differential thermal analysis (DTA). Another method was also developed for monitoring the melt cooling as a function of time from the liquid to the solid state, by recording the reflected microwave signal crossing the material poured inside the wave guide. We observed, also, changes in the electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of phosphate glass containing nickel after being irradiated for two hours with several microwave power levels. This effect may be related with coupling and decoupling mechanisms among the spin clusters developed in the sample. The microwave transmission spectra of the phosphate glass samples containing different concentrations of iron, cobalt, barium, manganese and barium, obtained by a frequency sweep from 7 to 13 GHz, presented an intense attenuation of the signal near to 9,7 GHz. This attenuation was found to decrease with the increase of modifier content.

Certos solos não saturados ao serem umedecidos experimentaram bruscas reduções de volume, sob cargas praticamente constantes. O fenômeno é atribuído a um colapso de estrutura do solo, donde a designação de solo colapsível. Essa redução de volume pode ocorrer sob a ação do próprio peso do solo, mas é mais comum ocorrer quando o solo está sujeito a um carregamento adicional. Muitos dos problemas de recalques nas áreas urbanas e industrias na Região Sudeste do Brasil estão associados ao colapso dos solos. Deformações induzidas por umedecimento (colapso) têm sido reportados como decorrrentes de vazamentos oriundo das redes de esgoto e de abastecimento de água. Porém, pouco se sabe sobre a influência de vazamentos de diferentes efluentes químicos nesse fenômeno e em outros fenômenos eventualmente associados com a dispersão dos solos. Neste trabalho, analisa-se o comportamento colapsível de dois solos típicos do interior do Estado de São Paulo, considerando diferentes soluções como líquido inundante. Utilizaram-se substâncias orgânicas e inorgânicas com o intuito de verificar a interferência de algumas propriedades químicas destas soluções (pH, constante dielétrica, concentração e temperatura) no comportamento colapsível dos solos. Para evitar a ação dos fluídos químicos na dispersão dos solos, realizou-se o \"pinhole test\". Análises porosimétricas por intrusão de mercúrio foram utilizadas para identificar mudanças ocorridas nos poros das amostras após os ensaios edométricos. Para a análise estrutural, foram analisadas lâminas delgadas em microscópio óptico. Verificou-se que a presença de um agente dispersivo na solução tende a influenciar o potencial de colapso dos solos. A constante dielétrica, o pH e a concentração mostraram-se influentes para alguns fluídos de saturação. Os resultados dos \"pinholes tests\" revelaram que o fluxo das diferentes soluções não provocou a dispersão do solo. Ensaios de porosimetria ) por intrusão de mercúrio indicaram que as deformações por colapso resultam de uma redução do volume de macroporos. A análise das lâminas delgadas mostrou diferentes facetas dos processos ocorrentes em nível estrutural, como diminuição considerável dos poros e modificações no plasma para as amostras inundadas com as soluções defloculantes de hexametafosfato de sódio e hidróxido de sódio. / Some non saturated soils show considerable volume reduction when wetted under constant loads. The phenomenon is attributed to soil structure collapse, thus the designation collapsible soils;. Volume reduction upon wetting can arise under soil self weight, but it is more common when the soil is subjected to an additional load. Many settlement problems in urban and industrial areas in Southern Brazil are associated to soil collapse. Wetting induced strains (collapse) have been related to water and sewer leakage. However little is known about the influence of different effluent leakage from industrial plants in the phenomenon and in other related phenomenon such as soil dispersion. This work deals with the collapsible behavior of two typical soils from the state of São Paulo assessed by means of wetting both soils with different chemical solutions. Organic and inorganic solutions were applied, aiming to verify the interference of some physic-chemical properties of the solutions (pH, dielectric constant, concentration, temperature) in the collapse behavior of the soils. The soil dispersion was evaluated through pinhole tests, where the same solutions used in the collapse tests were applied in the leaching procedures. Thin sections and mercury porosimetry of the soils were used to study the soil structural features. It is shown that the dielectric constant and the pH tends to influence the collapse potential of the soils when some solutions are concerned. Mercury intrusion tests have revealed that collapse deformations are related to macropores volume reduction. Thin sections have shown some features of the occurring processes on a structural levei, such as pore reductions and changes in fine matrix for the soil samples soaked with sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium hydroxide solution.