Characterization of semiconducting glaze by dielectric spectroscopy in frequency domain

A study on the dielectric response in frequency domain of a semiconducting glaze is presented. By modifying the electrical contacts to the glaze it was found that the observed polarization relaxation as well as the non-linear voltage dependence of the dc conductance arises due to a low-conductive barrier controlling conduction through the glaze. Structural and chemical analysis using scanning electron microscopy revealed that the outermost layer of the glaze mainly consisted of glass, containing very few tin oxide particles. With an equivalent circuit model, the thickness of the glassy layer was estimated to be about 4 /spl mu/m, while its resistivity was found to be in the order of 10/sup 8//spl Omega/m to 10/sup 9//spl Omega/m.