Phase Sensitive Multimeter-cfm-facilities
A phase-sensitive multimeter meter is an electronic device capable of measuring the inductance (L), capacitance (C) and resistance (R) of a device under test when applied AC voltage. The combination of LCR measurement help to calculate the effective series resistance (ESR), Q-factor, dissipation factor (tanδ) and phase angle. The measurement of C-R for the device under test is performed usually in-between the parallel plates where the capacitance in parallel (Cp) and resistance in parallel (Rp) is measured. In this work, the measurement of dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the samples was done using PSM-1735 LCR active head with Impedance Analyzer Interface (IAI) (Newton’s 4th –N4L) under a broad frequency (10 Hz to 10 MHz). The operation procedure for measuring the electrical parameters is further explained. The sample with a diameter of 1.8 cm. was inserted into the fixture (brass electrode) and placed into a dry temperature calibrated furnace. The electrode was then connected to PSM-1735 LCR active head which is interfaced with the computer. The fetched data was used to plot the graphs for ε’ and (tanδ) and studied.
Research Focus:
Research works on dilute magnetic semiconductors and transparent conducting oxides are being carried out in this lab. The materials such as In2O3, SnO2, ITO, ZnO, ZnS, CdTe, zinc ferrites were synthesised and studied for their physical properties. Various impurity elements such as Fe, Mn, Ni, and Cu were doped into the In2O3 host material and studied their physical properties. Similarly the elements such as Ni, Fe and Cr were doped into the SnO2 and studied their physical properties. Also pure and transition metal oxides were substituted into the ITO and studied their magnetic properties. The zinc ferrites were prepared using chemical methods and studied their dielectric and magnetic properties. It was found that
- i. In2O3 exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism
- ii. SnO2 exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism
- iii. Indium tin oxide also found as room temperature ferromagnetic material
- iv. ZnS exhibited weak ferromagnetism at room temperature
