High Temperature Dielectric Property Measurements - An Insight into Microwave Loss Mechanisms in Engineering Ceramics

Abstract

ABSTRACTIt is now possible, in a number of laboratories worldwide, to make microwave dielectric property measurements at temperatures up to about 1500°C. These measurements have shown that the loss tangent, tanδ, of a wide range of engineering ceramics increases dramatically at elevated temperatures. The interaction between the ceramic material and the impurities present during processing can have a dramatic effect on both the ease with which the material is able to extract energy from the microwave field and on the properties of the final ceramic. While the effect of impurities on the ceramic properties is relatively well understood the effect of impurities on the microwave loss mechanisms at elevated temperatures is not. This paper will review some of the recent work on the high temperature microwave dielectric property measurements performed at Nottingham.