EEET2148/2260 – Electronic Materials

Lab Session Week 9 and 10

Dielectric and Magnetic Materials

Prof. Yongxiang Li
School of Engineering, RMIT University
E-mail : yongxiang.li@rmit.edu.au

Collaborator - Online
Lab Group A - Week 9, Tuesday, 22/09/2020, 14:30-16:30
Lab Group B – Week 10, Wednesday 30/09/2020, 14:30-16:30
Lab Group C – Week 10, Thursday, 01/10/2020, 14:30-16:30

1
PHET – CU (University of Colorado Builder) 2

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/filter?
subjects=physics&sort=alpha&view=grid

Dielectric and Magnetic Materials

1) Capacitor Lab: Basics 3

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/capacitor-lab-basics

Topics
• Parallel Plate Capacitor
• Capacitance
• RC Circuit
• Circuits

Description
Explore how a capacitor works! Change the size of the plates and the distance
between them. Change the voltage and see charges build up on the plates. View the
electric field, and measure the voltage. Connect a charged capacitor to a light bulb
and observe a discharging RC circuit.

Sample Learning Goals

• Explain the relationships between voltage, charge, stored energy, and capacitance
• Predict how capacitance changes when the plate area or plate separation changes
• Describe how charge drains away from a capacitor into a light bulb
2) Capacitor Lab 4

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/capacitor-lab/latest/capacitor-lab.html?simulation=capacitor-lab

Topics
• Capacitor
• Capacitance
• Circuits
Description
Explore how a capacitor works! Change the size of the plates and add a dielectric to
see how it affects capacitance. Change the voltage and see charges built up on the
plates. Shows the electric field in the capacitor. Measure voltage and electric field.
Sample Learning Goals
• Determine the relationship between charge and voltage for a capacitor.
• Determine the energy stored in a capacitor or a set of capacitors in a circuit.
• Explore the effect of space and dielectric materials inserted between the conductors
of the capacitor in a circuit.
• Determine the equivalent capacitance of a set of capacitors in series and in parallel in
a circuit.
3) Microwaves 5

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/microwaves

Topics
• Microwaves
• Heat
• Thermodynamics
• Molecules
Description
How do microwaves heat up your coffee? Adjust the frequency and amplitude of
microwaves. Watch water molecules rotating and bouncing around. View the
microwave field as a wave, a single line of vectors, or the entire field.

Sample Learning Goals

Describe matter in terms of molecular motion. The description should include
diagrams to support the description and how temperature affects the image.
Relaxation – migration & orientation polarization 6

What is the principle involved in microwave heating?

Relaxation – migration & orientation polarization 7

Ø A microwave oven generates

electromagnetic radiation at about
2.5 GHz. This energy is pretty good
at causing H2O molecules to oscillate
their orientation (orientational
dielectric constant changes greatly).
Ø 5 GHz - 100 GHz would be ideal, but
then most of the energy would be
absorbed by the outermost layer of
the food, defeating the purpose.
Ø Ice has a low dielectric constant, so
not much energy is absorbed by it.
Once there is a bit of melted ice,
though, then you are really cooking.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm
4) Magnets and Electromagnets 8

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/magnets-and-electromagnets

Topics
• Magnetic Field
• Magnets
• Electromagnets

Description
Explore the interactions between a compass and bar magnet. Discover how you can
use a battery and wire to make a magnet! Can you make it a stronger magnet? Can
you make the magnetic field reverse?
Sample Learning Goals
• Predict the direction of the magnet field for different locations around a bar
magnet and electromagnet
• Compare and contrast bar magnets and electromagnets
• Identify the characteristics of electromagnets that are variable and what effects
each variable has on the magnetic field's strength and direction
• Relate magnetic field strength to distance quantitatively and qualitatively
Tutorial: Design of a Multi-layer Capacitor 9

Ø A multi-layer capacitor is to be designed using a BaTiO3- based formulation containing

SrTiO3. The dielectric constant of the material is 3000.
Ø Calculate the capacitance of a multi-layer capacitor consisting of 100 layers connected in
parallel using Ni electrodes. The sides of the capacitor are 10 ´ 5 mm and the thickness of
each layer is 10 µm.

Ø SOLUTION: The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is given by:

𝜺𝟎𝜺𝑨
𝑪=
𝒅