Electroceramics Research in India

Electroceramics research is driven by the technology development needs and the device applications in the fields of microelectronics, communications, automation, energy conservation, MEMS and others. Ferroelectric ceramics have been technically exploited because of their unique properties such as high dielectric permittivity, high piezoelectric & electromechanical coupling and discovery of electrical poling process. Under certain circumstances they show high optical transparency and electro-optic coefficients. High permittivity barium titanate based piezoelectric ceramics and their polymer composites show unusual properties for a wide range of applications in sonars, ultrasonic cleaners, micro-accelerometers, hydrophones, surface acoustic wave filters, delay lines, and microactuators etc. A number of organizations in India viz. academic institutions, research laboratories and industries are involved in the preparation, characterization and device fabrication of the electroceramic materials. This paper presents an overview of the ongoing work and the future prospects.