Investigating Electromagnetic Properties of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) for Wireless Gas Sensor Applications

The article describes the investigation of electromagnetic properties of YSZ for wireless gas sensor applications. In particular, the dielectric properties of YSZ were found with a view to implement on-chip antennas. Agilent Dielectric Probe Kit and network analyzer were used for dielectric constant and dielectric loss measurements. The dielectric properties were measured as a function of YSZ sintering temperature. The average dielectric constant (over frequency) of YSZ was seen to increase with an increase in sintering temperature. The average loss tangent (over frequency) was seen to decrease with an increase in sintering temperature. Substrates based on the dielectric ceramic materials such as YSZ, Al2O3, and Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic are promising candidates for antenna miniaturization because of their high permittivity, low loss, light weight, low cost, and market availability.