Journal of ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, Vol. 47, No.

7, 2018
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6255-0
 2018 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

Magneto Tuning of a Ferrite Dielectric Resonator Antenna

Based on LiFe5O8 Matrix

J.E.V. DE MORAIS ,1,2,7,8 A.J.N. DE CASTRO,1,2 R.G.M. OLIVEIRA,1,2

F.F. DO CARMO,2 A.J.M. SALES,2,6 J.C. SALES,1,2 M.A.S. SILVA,2
D.X. GOUVEIA,5 M.M. COSTA,3 A.R. RODRIGUES,4 and A.S.B. SOMBRA2

1.—Telecommunication Engineering Department (UFC), P.O. Box 6007, Fortaleza,

Ceará 60755-640, Brazil. 2.—Physics Department, Telecommunication, Science and Engineering
of Materials Laboratory (LOCEM), P.O. Box 6030, Fortaleza, Ceará 60455-760, Brazil.
3.—Institute of Physics, LACANM, UFMT, Cuiabá, MT 78060-900, Brazil. 4.—Physics
Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPe), Recife, Brazil. 5.—Federal Institute of
Ceará, Campus Fortaleza/IFCE, Fortaleza, Ceará 63400-000, Brazil. 6.—I3N – Physics
Department, Aveiro University, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.
7.—e-mail: eduardovasconc@gmail.com. 8.—URL: http://www.locem.ufc.br

LiFe5O8 (LFO) spinel-like material has been studied for use in ferrite res-
onator antennas (FRAs). Antenna parameters such as gain and return loss
were greatly affected when an external magnetic field was applied to the FRA.
The temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (sf) for the FRA pre-
sented a value of  482.16 ppm/C. The magnetic hysteresis results showed
that the LFO was a soft ferrite, considering the values of the remanent
magnetization (Mr = 5.95 emu g1), coercive field (0.76 mT), and saturation
magnetization (32.15 emu g1). The magnetodielectric resonator presented a
tuning effect in the resonant frequency as a function of the external magnetic
field. The antenna bandwidth was also affected by the presence of the mag-
netic field. LFO is a soft ferrite with applications in microwave circuits,
antennas, and devices for operation at microwave frequencies due to its
magnetization and demagnetization properties. Impedance study revealed
increasing conductivity from room to higher temperature with low activation
energy (0.36 eV).

Key words: FRA, LFO, hysteresis, spectroscopy impedance, sf

INTRODUCTION electronic applications in the microwave range, such

as low ohmic loss, miniaturization, and wide
The strong growth seen in the development of
impedance bandwidth, compared with other types
communication systems has made dielectric and
of antenna.3–6 Consequently, studies of ferromag-
magnetic ceramics (ferrites) interesting materials
netic materials for use in microwave applications
for production of devices. Due to the great demand
have been increasing in recent years,7–9 as well as
for magnetic materials for use in modern electronic
for applications as substrates for thin films, mag-
applications, new techniques and products have
netic memory, and wireless communications
been studied and researched, leading to the appear-
devices, among others.10,11 Many properties of fer-
ance of new solutions for a wide range of applica-
rite resonator antennas (FRAs) can be studied based
tions.1,2 Such progress has been enabled by various
on their geometric dimensions, which directly influ-
characteristics of ferromagnetic materials for use in
ence the resonant frequency and quality factor.11
Among ferrite antennas, the cylindrical ferrite
resonator antenna is very attractive due to its
magnetization selectivity, which is an additional
(Received November 3, 2017; accepted March 22, 2018; feature. Application of a magnetic field to an FRA
published online April 6, 2018)

3829
3830 de Morais, de Castro, Oliveira, do Carmo, A.J.M. Sales, J.C. Sales, Silva,
Gouveia, Costa, Rodrigues, and Sombra

enables one to study other properties such as the RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
magnetic permeability and many other electroni-
Structural characterization of LFO was per-
cally controlled parameters.12,13
formed by XRD analysis after sintering. The diffrac-
FRAs exhibit behavior similar to dielectric res-
togram (Fig. 1) confirmed presence of a-LiFe5O8
onator antennas (DRAs). In the work presented
according to Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
herein, a ferrite resonance antenna based on
(ICSD) card no. 29063. The refinement results
LiFe5O8 was studied by applying a controlled mag-
confirmed LFO with spinel structure having cubic
netic field and checking the shift in the resonant
symmetry (a = b = c = 8.329454 Å, a = b = c = 90)
frequency in the microwave range. Numerical study
in space group P4332. The LFO sample presented a
was performed using HFSS software to evaluate the
crystallographic structure with Fe3+ ions dis-
far-field parameters of the LFO antenna for each
tributed at two distinct sites, viz. one tetrahedral
applied magnetic field value. Moreover, a brief
(8c) and the other octahedral (12d), whereas Li+ ions
radiofrequency study was carried out to understand
occupy octahedral (4b) Wyckoff position. Refinement
the additional electric properties as functions of
was performed using the General Structure Analy-
temperature.
sis System (GSAS) software package with the
EXPGUI interface for phase validation using the
Rietveld method.15 The parameter values were in
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES good agreement with acceptable standards for good
LFO phase was synthesized by a solid-state route refinement16: Rwp = 2.35%, Rp = 1.83%,
according to Eq. 1, employing stoichiometric Rexp = 1.93%, and v2 = 1.48, with monocrystal den-
amounts of a-Fe2O3 and Li2CO3 as precursors. sity of 4.76 g cm3, compared with the experimental
These starting materials were activated by milling result of 4.32 g cm3 obtained by pycnometry, indi-
in a planetary mill (Fritsch Pulverisette 6) for 2 h cating good dense ceramic with relative density of
using zirconia balls and polyacetal jars. The acti- 0.91.
vated powder was calcined in air at 900C for 3 h. The magnetic behavior of LFO is shown in Fig. 2
as the magnetic hysteresis loop obtained at ambient
5Fe2 O3 þ Li2 CO3 ! 2LiFe5 O8 þ CO2 ð1Þ temperature. The shape of this curve indicates a
material of soft ferromagnetic type, based on the
Pellets and a cylindrical ceramic sample were values obtained for the coercive field (Hc = 7.6 mT),
prepared for dielectric measurements by molding saturation magnetization (Ms = 32.15 emu/g), and
LFO powder into a steel die under uniaxial pressure remanent magnetization (Mr = 5.95 emu/g).17
of 196 MPa with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as binder These values of saturation magnetization and coer-
and sintering the resulting green body at 1000C cive field are higher than those presented in liter-
during 5 h. For impedance spectroscopy (IS) mea- ature,18 which can be explained by the sintering
surements, both faces of the ceramic pellet were time and effective size of the formed grains. The
covered with conductive ink to form a parallel-face results showed uniform symmetry around the cen-
capacitor. The dimensions of the ceramic cylinder tral point (H = 0, M = 0). In this region, where
and pellet were 14.04 mm (diameter) 9 7.34 mm displacements of magnetic domains are dominant,
(thickness) and 14.30 mm (diameter) 9 1.56 mm there are no effects related to magnetic anisotropy
(thickness), respectively. Crystal structure and for the fields investigated.19,20 The material exhib-
composition were determined by x-ray diffraction ited a narrow hysteresis cycle, i.e., was easily
(XRD) analysis using a Bruker D8 Advance with Cu magnetized and demagnetized, making it
Ka radiation (k = 0.15406 Å) at room temperature,
in the range from 20 to 80 at stepping rate of 0.02/
min. To perform hysteresis measurements at room
temperature, vibrating-sample magnetometry
(VSM) was carried out using a MicroSense model
EV7 with sensitivity of 106 emu. This device offers
the highest accuracy for magnetic field strength
measurements. For magnetic field measurements
on the antenna, a Phywe magnetometer and
DAWER DPM 0 V to 30 V direct-current (DC)
voltage source were used.
The temperature coefficient of the resonant fre-
quency (sf) was measured using the Silva–Fernan-
des–Sombra (SFS)14 method with data acquisition
using a network analyzer (Agilent model N5230A).
For dielectric study by IS, an impedance analyzer
(Solartron 1260) was used at frequencies from 1 Hz
to 1 MHz. Fig. 1. Diffractogram of synthesized LFO.
Magneto Tuning of a Ferrite Dielectric Resonator Antenna Based on LiFe5O8 Matrix 3831

suitable for use in devices for operation at high

frequency.21,22
Measurements of the temperature coefficient of
the resonant frequency revealed that the resonant
frequency shifted with temperature. The LFO res-
onator presented sf =  482.16 ppm/C, indicating
that, to build a stable ceramic resonator, combina-
tion with another ceramic phase with positive sf
would be required.
Figure 3a and b shows the setup used to measure
the effect of the magnetic field on the antenna
operation. A DC voltage source (0 V to 30 V) and a
Phywe magnetometer were used to measure the
generated magnetic field. The magnetic field was
measured for each voltage applied to the solenoid,
Fig. 2. VSM data for LFO. which lay above the earth plane. The measured
magnetic field varied in the range of 0 mT to 15 mT.
For each field configuration according to Fig. 4a,

Fig. 3. Schematic of FRA setup showing (a) various antenna elements and (b) solenoid on the ground plane.

Fig. 4. (a) S11 spectrum of FRA as function of magnetic field H (dots) and simulated data (line), (b) bandwidth, and (c) variation of the resonant
frequency with magnetic field.
3832 de Morais, de Castro, Oliveira, do Carmo, A.J.M. Sales, J.C. Sales, Silva,
Gouveia, Costa, Rodrigues, and Sombra

antenna simulations were performed to analyze

bandwidth (%)
Simulated
parameters such as the gain, directivity, radiation
efficiency, and bandwidth. The reflection coefficient

7.74
7.75
7.85
7.62
(S11) in the presence of a magnetic field showed
interesting results not previously reported in liter-
ature for LFO phase.
Application of different magnetic fields to the FRA
resulted in different radiation patterns. When the
magnetic field was increased, the frequency band23
Experimental
bandwidth

measured at  10 dB broadened, changing the

mode shape, as seen in Fig. 4a–c. This can be
5.80
5.92
6.20
5.71
(%)

explained by the alignment of the dipoles with the

magnetic field. As the field increases, there is
greater alignment of these dipoles with the field.
Furthermore, since LFO is a soft magnetic ferrite, it
is susceptible to magnetization and degaussing
bandwidth
Simulated

more easily, as shown in Ref. 24. Increasing the

(MHz)

803.1
806.7
820.1
807.1

applied magnetic field resulted in a nonlinear

variation in the reflection coefficient, gradually
broadening the antenna band to  10 dB, with
higher S11 for magnetic field of 7.6 mT and higher
antenna bandwidth for 10.3 mT.24,25 With applica-
tion of higher magnetic field to the LFO, the
bandwidth (MHz)
Experimental

resonant frequency shifted upwards, causing a

decrease in the magnetic permeability.26
607.8
615.6
651.5
621.8

The frequency bandwidth (Df) increased, almost

linearly, as a function of increasing applied mag-
netic field, as shown in Fig. 4b. This broadening is
probably due to the appearance of a new mode,
caused by the higher magnetic flux in the propaga-
tion direction in the resonator, as seen in the
Table I. Simulated antenna parameters versus applied magnetic field

spectrum obtained at 10.3 mT, which shows a new

Radiation
efficiency

resonance increasing before the major resonance

95.12
95.59
95.66
99.97
(%)

observed at around 10 GHz.

To validate these experimental results, simula-
tions were performed using HFSS software to
study important antenna parameters such as the
return loss, gain, directivity, and bandwidth.27
gain (dBi)
Realized

Figure 4a shows the return loss below  10 dB for

6.57
6.56
6.67
6.92

all simulated antennas as a function of frequency.

The FRA sample presented tuning of the resonant
frequency of 212 MHz due to the presence of a
magnetic field. According to Table I, gain of
5.56 dBi was obtained with external magnetic field
Simulated
frequency

of 4 mT and 6.93 dBi with magnetic field of

10.373
10.397
10.445
10.584
(GHz)

10.3 mT. Different resonant modes presented dis-

tinct distributions of the electromagnetic field
within the FRA, with each mode providing different
gain, directivity, radiation efficiency, and radiation
pattern.28,29 All antenna measurements exhibited
Experimental

high bandwidth when analyzing the frequency

frequency

range with voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) £2.

10.383
10.402
10.431
10.595
(GHz)

For this frequency range, linear broadening of the

antenna band was observed as the magnetic field
was increased, as shown in Fig. 4b and Table I.
These results can be applied for devices operating in
the microwave range, such as radars, satellites, etc.
The FRA radiation profile is shown in Fig. 5. The
Li10.3mT
Li7.6mT
Sample

Li00mT

FRA presented a radiation pattern corresponding to

Li4mT

a cylindrical FRA with maximum radiation at h = 0

when analyzed at u = 90 and u = 0.
Magneto Tuning of a Ferrite Dielectric Resonator Antenna Based on LiFe5O8 Matrix 3833

Fig. 5. Simulated radiation pattern for FRA of LiFe5O8 at (a) 0 mT, (b) 7.6 mT, and (c) 10.3 mT.

Fig. 6. Real and imaginary parts of impedance at room temperature.

IS was applied to study the electrical behavior of
the LFO ceramic matrix as a function of tempera-
ture as well as the grain and grain-boundary
contributions to its electric response.30 Figure 6
shows the frequency dependence of the real part of
the impedance (Z¢) and imaginary part of the
impedance (Z¢¢) at room temperature. Large values
of Z¢ at low frequencies indicate predominance of
the polarization effect. The real part of the impe-
dance was independent of frequency in the region
above 106 X, while the imaginary part exhibited a
peak corresponding to an electric relaxation process.
Figure 7 shows Nyquist diagrams of the impe-
dance results in the complex plane, where the curve
profiles can be studied using models such as
Fig. 7. Nyquist diagram of impedance measurements at 313 K and
(inset) 513 K. Experimental data are shown as dots, with simulated
data from the equivalent circuit as a line.
equivalent circuits or Cole–Cole, Cole–Davidson,
and Havriliak–Negami models.31 The semicircle
was fit using an equivalent circuit formed by two
R/constant-phase element (CPE) combinations in
parallel. The fitting results showed good agreement
with experimental data. Each R–CPE association
represents the electric response of grains or grain
boundaries in the LFO matrix. The resistance (R),
factor of proportionality (P), and CPE exponent that
characterizes the phase shift (n) obtained from
3834 de Morais, de Castro, Oliveira, do Carmo, A.J.M. Sales, J.C. Sales, Silva,
Table II. Fit equivalent circuit parameters for LFO
Grain boundary
T (K) R1 (X) P1 (FÆs(n21)) n1
313 7.35 9 104 4.71 9 105 0.318
513 8.47 9 102 7.69 9 105 0.304
Fig. 8. Conductivity of LFO as function of frequency for different
temperatures.
fitting performed at 40C and 240C are presented
in Table II. According to the IS results, with
increasing temperature, the resistances R1 and R2
decreased, indicating a thermally activated process.
This process can be investigated based on the
variation of the electric relaxation frequency with
temperature (Arrhenius relation)32 and the varia-
tion of n with temperature, indicating greater grain
and grain-boundary conduction at higher tempera-
ture. The relaxation time decreased (i.e., the electric
relaxation process shifted to higher frequency) with
increasing temperature, which is explained by the
low activation energy presented by LFO (0.36 eV),
causing the material to carry charges faster. In the
equivalent circuit, CPEs were used instead of
capacitances in order to achieve the best fit. The
total impedance ZCPE(x) of the R-CPE circuit was
calculated using Eq. 2.33
h pn pni1
ZCPE ðxÞ ¼ 2 qxn cos þ i sin ; ð2Þ
2 2
where x is the angular frequency and n is the CPE
exponent, which characterizes the phase shift. LFO
is a soft ferrite, being classified as highly sensitive,
so various parameters such as the resistance,
permittivity, etc. showed strong dependence on
temperature. The conductivity is an important
parameter because it relates macroscopic measures
of charge carriers to their microscopic movement.34
Figure 8 shows the frequency-dependent conduc-
tivity at different temperatures in the range from
Gouveia, Costa, Rodrigues, and Sombra
Grain
s1 (s) R2 (X) P2 (FÆs(n21)) n2 s2 (s)
3.47 1 9 109 6.18 9 1010 0.765 0.618
0.065 8.16 9 103 2.67 9 1010 0.848 2.18 9 106
180C to 420C for the LFO. The conductivity
spectra exhibit a slight variation of the conductivity
up to 105 Hz, which corresponds to the DC conduc-
tivity, above which the alternating-current (AC)
conductivity is observed. For lithium ferrite, the
conductivity increased with both frequency and
temperature. The electric transport mechanism
can be explained based on thermal activation of
charge carriers between sites separated by an
energy barrier. The FRA fabricated from LFO
ceramic presented good far-field parameters even
when tuned by application of an external magnetic
field.
CONCLUSIONS
A dielectric resonator was fabricated from lithium
ferrite. The crystal phase was confirmed by XRD
anlaysis, and its soft ferrite characteristic demon-
strated by magnetization curves. The frequency
range obtained by magnetic tuning was 260 MHz
with gain above 4 dBi. IS showed that LFO pre-
sented low activation energy with insulating char-
acteristic. Due to its soft ferrite characteristic,
tuning of an antenna based on LFO by application
of an external magnetic field resulted in a consid-
erable frequency range for magnetic field of
10.7 mT.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Financial support from the Brazilian Agency for
Scientific and Technological Development CAPES
and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research
(AFOSR, FA9550-16-1-0127) is gratefully acknowl-
edged.
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