STUDENTS PROJECT PROPOSAL

FOR INTERNAL FUNDING

INVESTIGATION ON THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF

TGS CRYSTAL GROWN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DC
ELECTRIC FIELD WITH DIFFERENT STRENGTHS

Department of
Electrical and Electronics Engineering

SSN College of Engineering

Kalavakkam- 603110

Academic Year 2014-2015

STUDENTS PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR

INTERNAL FUNDING
SSN College of Engineering, Kalavakkam- 603110

INVESTIGATION ON THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF

TGS CRYSTAL GROWN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DC
ELECTRIC FIELD WITH DIFFERENT STRENGTHS

Student Project by

1. Venkatesh C,

Reg. No: 312213105120

2. Pratheep Kumar B S,

Reg. No: 312213105075

3. Sathesh Kumar N,

Reg. No: 312213105092

[II Year, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering]

Project Supervisor
Dr. P. Rajesh
Asst Professor
Department of Physics

INVESTIGATION ON THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF TGS CRYSTAL GROWN

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DC ELECTRIC FIELD WITH DIFFERENT
STRENGTHS
1. Summary
Triglycine sulfate (TGS) is known as an important ferroelectric crystal for infrared (IR)
detector applications mainly because of its features which allow operation at room
temperature. Pyroelectric sensors based on TGS are uniformly sensitive to radiations in
wavelength range from ultraviolet to far-infrared and do not require cooling for operation as
compared to quantum detectors, where low temperature cooling is required. It also finds
application in burglar alarms, medical Videocon tubes operating at room temperature, FTIR
instrumentation and in pyroelectric detector. It undergoes a second-order phase transition at
Curie temperature (322 K) from ferroelectric to paraelectric. The crystal structure of TGS is
monoclinic below and above Curie temperature (Hoshino et al., 1959). The space group
transforms from non- Centrosymmetric P21 in the ferroelectric phase to centro symmetrical
P21/m in the paraelectric phase.
TGS crystals grown under two different dc electric field strengths exhibit modified ferroelectric
properties. The modifications show a dependence on the field strength applied during crystal
growth. The domain structure modifications under the influence of fields lead to an increase
in the relaxation times. Reduced dielectric permittivity and spontaneous polarization also
illustrate the effect created by the field.
2. Keywords

Electrical properties
Crystal Growth

DC Electric Field

Crystal properties

3. Origin of the proposal

Triglycine sulphate single crystals can be easily grown from aqueous solutions and exhibit,
among ferroelectric materials, one of the best examples of a second order phase transition
with a order disorder character. Above the Curie temperature Tc the crystals have a
centrosymmetric monoclinic space-group P21/m. In the ferroelectric phase, an uniaxial
spontaneous polarization, directed along the 2-fold axis, results from the breaking of the
mirror plane (space-group P21 ) [1]. Dielectric permittivity and specific heat were found to

be lower in TGS-E crystals than in TGS. The additional results on the influence that high
electric fields applied during crystal growth have on the dielectric, pyroelectric, hysteresis
properties and domain structure of TGS was reported.
The properties of TGS modified because of the external transverse DC electric field on TGS.
Prominent modifications were observed on crystals grown at high fields (80 kV/cm) than in
crystals grown under lower dc electric fields (10 kV/cm). The modified ferroelectric
properties stem from the domain structures influenced by the applied field. The domains on
the low field grown crystals are more elongated and appear as thin strips. In the case of high
dc field grown crystals, some of the domains are tilted under the influence of the field,
resulting in the misalignment of the major axis of the domains with respect to the c-axis. The
application of DC electric fields during crystal growth was found to modify the electric
properties of TGS.

4. Objective
To evaluate the electrical property of TGS crystals by the application of DC electric
fields.
To grow unidirectional crystals with enhanced properties
To study the UV-Visible transmission
unidirectional TGS based single crystals.

and

absorption characteristics

of

To evaluate the crystals for their optical, thermal, mechanical and laser damage
thresholds characteristics.

5. Importance of the project

Triglycine sulfate (TGS) is known as an important ferroelectric crystal for infrared (IR)
detector applications mainly because of its features which allow operation at room
temperature. The influence of external fields in typical dipolar orderdisorder phase
transitions is a topic of present day research. In TGS, the effects of external electric fields
applied along the ferroelectric axis have been studied at length for many years and are well
known:
(i) the phase transition is smeared by the external electric field;
(ii) the intensity of the susceptibility at Tc is reduced;
(iii) the Curie temperature is shifted to higher values;
(iv) in the ferroelectric phase, the density of domain walls is reduced.

On the other hand, the effects of fields applied perpendicularly to the polar axis have been less
studied and are not yet fully understood [27]. Interestingly, these modifications were found
to remain even after the removal of the field. Dielectric permittivity and specific heat were
found to be lower in TGS-E crystals than in TGS.
The application of DC electric fields during crystal growth was found to modify the ferroelectric,
dielectric, hysteresis properties and domain structure of TGS [8].
6. Detailed methodology
Triglycine sulphate (TGS) will be synthesis by taking glycine and sulphuric acid in the molar
ratio 3:1. Glycine reacts with sulphuric acid as follows:
3(NH2CH2COOH)+ H2SO4(NH2CH2COOH)3H2SO4
The required amount of sulphuric acid will be diluted with doubly distilled water. Then, the
calculated amount of glycine was added and dissolved in diluted H2SO4. The solution will
be heated until the salt got recrystallized. Extreme care will be taken during recrystallization
to avoid the oxidation of glycine. Hence, the solution temperature was always maintained
below 60C. The recrystallized TGS salt dissolved in doubly distilled water. In this way the
natural impurity content of TGS salt was minimized. A saturated solution of TGS at room
temperature was prepared using twice crystallized salt. The solution will be filtered using a
high quality filter paper. Slow evaporation technique will be employed for crystal growth.
SankaranarayananRamasamy (SR) method has given the solution and it is possible to grow
bulk size, good quality single crystals along a desired (0 1 0) face (perpendicular to polar
axis) needed for IR device fabrication.
Electrical properties of the grown crystal will be characterized to analyse the influence of high
electric fields applied during crystal growth have on the dielectric, pyroelectric, hysteresis
properties and domain structure of TGS.

7. Estimated budget
S.No

Head

(Rs.)

Chemicals

12000
4000

Consumables
(Filter papers, glasswares,
pH papers etc.)

Contingencies

3000

Crystal characterization

6000

Total

25000

Refrences
[1] Landolt-Bornstein, Crystal and Solid State Physics, New Series,
Springer, New York, 1982,p. 223.

group III, Vol. 16b,

[2] N. Nakatani, Jpn. J. App. Phys. 24 (1985) 583.

[3] T. Kato, R. Abe, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 32 (1972) 717.
[4] E. Fatuzzo, Helv. Phys. Acta 33 (1960) 501.
[5] A. Shaulov, M. Simhony, J. App. Phys. 47 (1976) 1.
[6] S.R. Stoyanov, M.P. Michailov, J. Stankowska, Acta Phys. Pol. A 65 (1984) 141.
[7] K. Cwikiel, B. Fugiel, M. Mierzwa, J. Phys: Condens.Matter 11 (1999) 7585.
[8] G. Arunmozhi, E. Nogueira, E. de Matos Gomes, S.Lanceros-Mendez, M. Margarida R.
Costa, A. Criado,J. F. Mano, MRS Proceedings, Vol. 658, 2000, GG3.5