A study of the electrical properties of ion implanted MnNiCuFeO ceramics

The structural and electrical properties of polycrystalline MnNiCuFeO implanted with B/sup +/, P/sup +/, and Si/sup +/ were studied. Measurements were realized using several techniques: scanning electron microscope, microprobe, low frequency impedance analyzer, and spreading resistance probe. Results from the spreading resistance measurements show that the resistance of the implanted samples is approximately half that of non-implanted samples. The impedance analyzer measurements indicate that the ratio of the real part (grain effect) to the imaginary part of the impedance (grain boundary effect) decreases after ion implantation. These results show that the resistance of the grain boundary is much higher than that of the grain itself and that the grain boundary behavior is very important in relation to the bulk properties of polycrystalline MnNiCuFeO ceramics.