Effect of ion beam irradiation on pure polymer and hybrid polymer/inorganic nanocomposite dielectric for improved capacitor properties.

Activity: Talks and presentationsConference presentations

Description

Capacitors are one of the fundamental building blocks in electronic circuits. Due to capacitors’ capability of storing energy and stabilizing current they can have huge impact on minimizing energy losses in power electronic systems. In this work, we propose a new approach based on ion beam irradiation that can both reduce the thickness of the dielectric layer and improve its dielectric properties to generate more compact capacitor devices with improved energy storage capabilities. We used polypropylene (PP) since this is the one of the most industrially relevant materials for the fabrication of metallized film capacitors. Prior to the ion beam irradiation, Monte Carlo simulations, using the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software, were performed to determine the minimum polymer thickness required to ensure that the electronic energy losses and nuclear collision events would occur mainly within the PP bulk. The polymer films were then prepared via spin coating, while the metallization was done via electron beam evaporation. The fabrication of the hybrid samples is described elsewhere1. To determine the optimum Helium ion dose for treating the devices without inducing irradiation degradation, different regions of the samples were exposed to several ion doses2 and analyzed with Raman spectroscopy. Preliminary results show that both pure PP3 and hybrid devices4 treated with a relevant ion dose show higher capacitance and breakdown voltages and reduced equivalent series resistance. Calculations show that the ion beam irradiation improved the devices’ electrical characteristics mainly due to the chemical changes of the dielectric layer compared to the effect of thickness reduction. These results have significant implications for the development of new and improved dielectrics for capacitor applications.
Period12. Jun 202414. Jun 2024
Event titleNORDIC POLYMER DAYS 2024
Event typeConference
LocationHelsinki, FinlandShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational