DIELECTRICS AND

CAPACITANCE
ABHIBRATHA ADHIKARY-1RV09EE001
ABHINAV U. PATIL-1RV09EE002
ABHISHEK KUMAR-1RV09EE003
 Consider the interface between two dielectrics having
permittivities ε1 and ε2, as shown below.

 We first examine the tangential components around the

small closed path on the left, with Δw<< :

 E  dL  0
Etan1w  Etan 2 w  0
Etan1  Etan 2
 The tangential electric flux density is discontinuous,
Dtan1 Dtan 2
 Etan1  Etan 2 
1 2
Dtan1 1

Dtan 2  2
 The boundary conditions on the normal components are
found by applying Gauss’s law to the small cylinder
shown at the right of the previous figure(net tangential
flux is zero).
• ρS cannot be a bound surface charge
DN 1S  DN 2 S  Q   S S density because the polarization
already counted in by using dielectric
constant different from unity
DN 1  DN 2   S • ρS cannot be a free surface charge
density, for no free charge available
in the perfect dielectrics we are
considering
• ρS exists only in special cases where
it is deliberately placed there
 Except for this special case, we may assume ρS is zero
on the interface:

DN 1  DN 2

 The normal component of electric flux density is

continuous.
 It follows that:
1 EN 1   2 EN 2
 Combining the normal and the tangential
components of D,

DN 1  D1 cos 1  D2 cos  2  DN 2
Dtan1 D1 sin 1 1
 
Dtan 2 D2 sin  2  2
 2 D1 sin 1   1 D2 sin  2

 After one division,

tan 1 1

tan  2  2
1   2  1   2
Boundary Conditions for Perfect Dielectric
Materials
E1
 The direction of E on each side of
the boundary is identical with the
direction of D, because D = εE.

1 EN 1   2 EN 2
Etan1  Etan 2 1   2  1   2
E2
 The relationship between D1 and D2 may be found from:

 
2
2
D2  D1 cos 1 
2
sin 2 1
1
 The relationship between E1 and E2 may be found from:
2
1
E2  E1 sin 1 
2
 
2
cos 2 1
 The boundary conditions existing at the interface
between a conductor and a dielectric are much simpler
than those previously discussed.
 First, we know that D and E are both zero inside the
conductor.
 Second, the tangential E and D components must both
be zero to satisfy:

 E  dL  0 D  E
 Finally, the application of Gauss’s law shows once
more that both D and E are normal to the conductor
surface and that
DN = ρS and EN = ρS/ε.
 The boundary conditions for conductor–free space are
valid also for conductor–dielectric boundary, with ε0
replaced by ε.
Dt  Et  0 DN   EN   S
 We will now spend a moment to examine one
phenomena: “Any charge that is introduced internally
within a conducting material will arrive at the surface
as a surface charge.”
 Given Ohm’s law and the continuity equation (free
charges only):
J E  v
J  
t

 We have:
v  v
  E    D  
t  t
 If we assume that the medium is homogenous, so that
σ and ε are not functions of position, we will have:
 v
D  
 t
 Using Maxwell’s first equation, we obtain;
  v
v  
 t
 Making the rough assumption that σ is not a function of ρv,
leads to an easy solution that at least permits us to compar
different conductors.
 The solution of the above equation is:
 v   0 e  (  ) t • ρ0 is the charge density at t = 0
• Exponential decay with time constant of ε/σ
 Good conductors have low time constant. This means
that the charge density within a good conductors will
decay rapidly.
 We may then safely consider the charge density to be
zero within a good conductor.
 In reality, no dielectric material is without some few free
electrons (the charge density is thus not completely
zero), but the charge introduced internally in any of
them will eventually reach the surface.

ρv

ρ0
 v   0 e  (  ) t

ρ0/e

ε/σ t
POLARIZATION

Polarization” of a
dielectric in an
electric field E
gives rise to thin
layers of bound
charges on the
dielectric’s
surfaces, creating
surface charge
densities
+i and –i.
A neutral sphere
B in the electric
field of a
charged sphere
A is attracted
to the charged
sphere because
of polarization.
 Metal plates A
C
d
What makes  different
from 0?
POLARIZATION
Dielectric

   r 0
r  1 
In electrostatics, the CONSTITUITIVE RELATION is

D  E   0 E  P Polarization

P   0 E Susceptibility
 Dielectric Effects
POLARIZATION arises from charge shifts in the
material—there is a macroscopic separation of
positive charge (e.g., the ions) and negative charge
(e.g., the BONDING ELECTRONS).

Induced DIPOLE MOMENT Amount of charge shift

d i  q  x0

POLARIZATION is then
P  N dipoles d i

There are many sources of dipoles.

Molecular Polarization—Debye Equation

 s  
 ( )    
1  i
 s  
   Re      
1   2 2
   s    
   Im  
1   2 2

1
~ absorption frequency   LO


Longitudinal vibration frequency of the A-B molecule—the POLAR

OPTICAL PHONON frequency
POLARIZATION IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD
Capacitors
 A basic capacitor has two parallel plates
separated by an insulating material
 A capacitor stores an electrical charge
between the two plates
 The unit of capacitance is Farads (F)
 Capacitance values are normally smaller,
such as µF, nF or pF
Capacitors
 Basic capacitor construction
Dielectric The dielectric
Plate material material is an
2 insulator
therefore no
current flows
through the
Plate capacitor
1
Capacitors
Storing a charge between
the plates
 Electrons on the left
plate are attracted
toward the positive
terminal of the voltage
source
 This leaves an excess of
positively charged holes
 The electrons are
pushed toward the right + -
plate
 Excess electrons leave a
negative charge
Some Capacitors

conductor
insulator
Capacitance : Definition
 Take two chunks of conductor Q+ = +CV
– Separated by insulator +++++++++++
 Apply a potential V between +++++++++++
them +++++++++++ V
 Charge will appear on the V
conductors, with Q+ = +CV on
- --
the higher-potential and Q- =
- - - --
- - - - - ---
-- ------0
-CV on the lower potential
- -
conductor
------
 C depends upon both the
- C V
“geometry” and the nature of the
- =
material that is the insulator Q
Parallel-Plate Capacitor
1. Calculate field
strength E as a
function of charge +Q
Area A
±Q on the plates
Dielectric constant 
2. Integrate field to Separation d E
V
calculate potential V
Area A -Q
between the plates
3. Q=CV, C = Q/V
 Parallel-Plate Capacitor
• Gauss’s Law – D, E  0 only on bottom
face
• Charge enclosed = AGQ/A
+Q/A Coulombs/m2
Area AG

-Q/A Coulombs/m2
Parallel-Plate Capacitor
Q a z
E from Gauss's Law
A
z d z d  Q a
 
z  Q  z d 
V    E.dl       .dl     a z .dl
z 0 z 0   A    A  z 0

 Qd 
V   Area A
+Q

 A   âz
Q A d dl E
C 
V d Area A -Q
Cylindrical Capacitor
E
 Two concentric
0
V -Q
cylindrical +Q
conductors, overlap
length L
 e.g. co-axial TV
lead cable E
 Separated by a 0 V
dielectric -Q +Q
(insulator)

Cylindrical Capacitor
Q  
a
l a r  L  r
E
2 r

2 r
from Gauss's Law E
l b l a r .dl
l b r
V    E.dl   
l a l  a 2 r

l r  b dr 
V
  l  ln(r )  a
b
V  
2 r a r 2 +Q a b
l 
 ln(b)  ln(a)   l ln  
b
V 
2
b
  b
 
2  a 

ln   ln  
a Q 2
V     l     , so CL 
a
2 2 L b
ln  
2 a
CL  is the Capacitance/unit length (F/M)
b
ln  
0V, -Q
a
 Estimating Capacitance …
 When the electrodes are not as symmetrical as
these examples
 Also – our “ideal” parallel-plate capacitor
should really look thus:-

Fringing fields
Estimating Capacitance : Principle
 Sketch equipotentials and field lines using
field plotting
 Can be arbitrarily accurate
 More accuracy means more
V0 = ¼ (V1+V2+V3+V4)
 Use a computer!
 Underlying Idea …
C = A/d = 5x2x/2x
C = 5x
Is 100% equivalent to
2x Each C = A/d = x
10 in parallel,
2x 2 in series
5x CTOT = 10x/2 = 5x
x

x x
Underlying Idea …
These plates are all the same potential = an
equipotential
Estimation : Example
Positive electrode

Equipotential

Equipotential

Equipotential

Negative electrode
 Estimation : Example

x
x
x
Estimating Capacitance : Recipe
 Draw equipotentials as accurately as you have
time for
 Using field mapping in reality
 Draw field lines to make square “cells” (cubes in
3D)
 Field line and equipotentials cross at 90°
 Make cells as square as possible
 Count series and parallel – each is a capacitance of
x (per unit depth when using a 2D diagram)
 x Estimation : Example
Each of these is A/d = xx/x
x
x 4 in series, 30 in parallel
Capacitance = 30x/4
Or capacitance/unit depth =
10/4 10x
th
e p
d 3x

4x