TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC BÁCH KHOA HÀ NỘI

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (HUST)
Viện Vật lý Kỹ thuật
School of Engineering Physics (SEP)

3.DIELECTRICS
3.1. Dielectric polarization

3.2. Electric field within dielectrics

3.3. Special dielectrics

 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.1 Basic concepts
 Dielectrics: materials or substances that
consist of bound charges in electric structure.
In other words, there are no mobile charged
particles to flow throughout the material as in
electrical conductor but only slightly shift
from their average equilibrium positions
when placed in external electric field.
 Polarization: the distribution of charged
inside the dielectrics when placed in external
electric field that positive charges are
displaced in the direction of the field and
negative ones shift in the opposite direction
creating an internal electric field oppositely to
external one.
 On the surface of the dielectrics there exist
unlike induced charges with the charged body
 electrically attractive force
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.1 Basic concepts
 Comparison the impact of electric field on
Conductors Dielectrics

 
Ein  0 E0


Ein  0
 
Eout Eout
 There is a distribution of freely  There is a distribution of induced
induced charges on surface  charges on the opposite surfaces 
surface charge density ; surface bounced charge density ’;
 Electric lines can not go through  Electric lines can go through 

i.e. Ein  0  effect of electrostatic internal field appears  net field:
  
shield; E  Eout  Ein
 Conductor became trung hòađiện)  Bounced
 charges still exist even
when removing external field Eout  0 when Eout  0
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.2 Models of induced charges
 Atomic model for conductors
 
E0 E0
 
  
   d
   

        p 

     +q e -q
 
 
 
 
pe  qd
 Electronic structure of atom: a positively charged nucleus and the electron
"cloud“ of which the charge center of gravity coincides exactly with nucleus,
as a spherical symmetry.

 When subjected to external field: electrons displace in opposite direction 

“electron cloud” is lopsided that its center is separated by a distance  atom
becomes polarized like a dipole.
 When external field is removed: atom return the neutral state.
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.2 Models of induced charges
 Self-polarized molecular model for dielectrics
d
 Molecule has already lopsided distribution of
charges positive and negative charges but a  p 
lopsided distribution, with excess positive charge +q e -q
concentrated on one side and negative charge on
the other even when there is no external field.
 Molecule is called polar one
 Example
 H2O
 NaCl Cl- Na+

 

d

pei  0
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.3 Mechanism for dielectric polarization
 Bulk dielectric
 consists of a number of built-in dipoles (polar molecules)
each has pei 
 
E0  0 E0  0
E0  0

 
pei  0,  pei  0  
pei  0,  pei  0
i i

 In the absent of external field, the dipoles are oriented randomly resulting
in a net zero dipole   p ei  0
i
 When subjected to external field  the dipoles are rotated gradually by
torques exerted by external field.
  
 The rotation will be stopped when all vector ei align with E0   pei  0
p
 there is a bounced charge redistribution on the opposite surfaces. i
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.4 Polarization vector
 Definition
 Quantity defined by the sum of individual
dipoles (polar molecules) per unit volume within a
n

p
bulk material.
 ei
Pe  i 1
V
 For bulk dielectric
 When external field is small
 n. p ei  
Pe   n0 pei  n0 0E
 V  Pe
or: Pe   0e E e = electric susceptibility
 Pbh
 When external field is very strong Pe gains
saturation state.
 Unit: [C/m2]
E
 3.1 Dielectric polarization
3.1.5 Polarization and bounced charge density
 For polarized bulk dielectric: charge on each end surface A, Q =  ’.A
 Magnitude of polarization A
n -’- +’
 p
i 1
ei -
-

+
+ +
+ 
Pe
Pe  Pe  -
V -
E + + 
- + 
n
n
where: p
i 1
ei   '.A.d and V = A.d.cos d

 '.A.d '
then: Pe  
A.d . cos  cos 

’= Pe.cos = Pen

 The bounced charge density of a bulk dielectric equals to the projection of
polarization vector on the normal of end surface.
 3.2 Electric field within dielectrics
3.2.1 Strength of electric field
 ’ +’
E0 ’ +’

E' 
E0 
E

’ +’ ’ +’

    
 Net field inside dielectric after being polarized: E  Eout  Ein  E0  E '
 3.2 Electric field within dielectrics
3.2.1 Strength of electric field 
 E'
 Taking along the direction of E0 : E = E0 - E’ - ’ +’


 E’ can be considered the electric field E0
caused by two planes having charges with
unlike sign characterized by -’ and +’,
E’ =’ /0
E’ =eE
here: ’ = Pen = 0eEn = 0eE
vacuum Dielectric
E E
 E = E0 - eE or: E  0  0
1  e 
  =1+e is just dielectric constant, +’ -’
characterizing for a certain environment
 Strength of the electric field within
homogenous and isotropic environment is
decreased by a factor  when compared to
that in vacuum.
 3.2 Electric field within dielectrics
3.3.2 Electric field within two adjacent dielectrics
 Consider two layers with electric

constants 1 and 2 having a common E1t
boundary that is placed in electric field E0 1 
E '1
 Occurrence of bounced charges at E1n
common boundary   two secondary

fields E '1and E 'appear.
2 E0 
 Net field throughout
  two layers 
E1  E0  E '1 E2t 
   E '2
E2  E0  E '2 2
E2n 
 Tangent and normal components of each field:
E1n  E0 n  E '1n E2n  E0 n  E '2n
and
E1t  E0t  E '1t E2t  E0t  E '2t
 since E’1t = E’2t = 0  E1t = E2t: no change with tangent electric field
 But E’1n = e1E1n & E’2n = e2E2n  E1n  E0n / 1  e1   E0n / 1 
E1n  2 E2 n
E2n  E0n / 1  e 2   E0n /  2 1
 Normal electric field changes at the boundary of two dielectrics.
 3.3 Special dielectrics
3.3.1 Seignette salt class
 Seignette or Rochelle salt
 Formula: KNaC4H4O6·4H2O
 Name: Potassium sodium tartrate
tetrahydrate).
 White crystalline granulars or powder;
 Solubility in water at different
temperatures but insoluble in alcohol and
ether;
 Class of natural Seignette salt
 Tourmaline (Ca,K,Na (Al,Fe,Li,Mg,Mn)3);
 Quartz (SiO2);
 Topaz (Al2SiO4(F,OH)2);
 Sugar crystalline.
 3.3 Special dielectrics
3.3.1 Seignette salt class
 Hysteresis phenomenon
 Dependence of polarization on time and external field;
 When E small: E   P  (1) P P
 At a certain magnitude of EC: P gets Ps
saturized value (Ps)  P = const event at Pr
larger Eexternal. Pr
 Eexternal   P  slowly (2)  when
E = 0, P still  0 i.e. there exist the
residual polarization, Pr. -E-E
c c 0 0 EE
 Polarization only is cancelled (P = 0)
when E = - Ec (coercive force);
 Continue to change Eexternal 
polarization inside again experiences
similar situations but opposite values
creating a symmetrical hysteresis loop.
 3.3 Special dielectrics
3.3.2 Ferroelectrics
 Characteristics of ferroelectrics
 Belong to material class of Seignette salt.
 Dielectric constant also depends on external field and its values vary from
tens to thousands.
 Temperature dependent electric property i.e. there is a critical point so-called
Curie temperature or Curie point (Tc) at which the residual polarization is
cancelled, e.g. for NaKC4H4O6.4H2O there are two Curie temperature which
are -15 0C and 22 0C.
 Typical synthesized ferroelectrics
 BaTiO3;
 PZT;
 AlN.
 3.3 Special dielectrics
3.3.3 Piezoelectric effect
 A reversible physics effect Galvanmeter

 Direct effect: the ability of certain materials

to generate an electric charge in response to Piezoelectric crystal

applied mechanical stress, e.g. quartz crystal

(SiO2) that is similar to the polarization of
dielectrics when subjected to an external field.
 Inverse effect: when a piezoelectric crystal
is place in an external electrical field it may Piezoelectric crystal
result in the deformation either stretch or Alternative
source
compress  if the field is alternative then the
result is a deformation as the oscillation.
 Applications
 Micro-sensors for measurement of pressure, acceleration, mass or gases, etc.
 Micro-actuators for miniaturized electric generator, ultrasound generator, etc.