(Ba_0.93Nd_0.07)TiO₃ thin films prepared by sol–gel method as a potential dielectric resonator antenna application

In this paper, we report the application of Neodymium (Nd) doped barium titanate thin films (Ba_1-xNd_x) TiO₃ with x = 0 and 0.07 as dielectric resonator antenna. The films were prepared using the sol–gel method and dip-coating technique. Barium acetate, titanium (IV) isopropoxide and neodymium (III) acetate hydrate were used as precursors while glacial acetic acid and acetylacetone were used as solvents. Si wafers were used as a substrate with dipping times varying from 10, 30, and 50 s. The 0.07 films were >800 nm thick and crystallized after being annealed at 800°C for 30 min. The films were tested as dielectric resonator antenna. It was found that, on the actual antenna circuit, the resonant frequency decreased as the (Ba_0.93Nd_0.07) TiO₃ films thickness increased (from 0.8379, to 5.4525 μm). All samples resonate in the range of 8.68–8.83 GHz with quasi omni-directional radiation patterns.