Microstructural and dielectric susceptibility effects on predictions of dielectric properties

In modeling the dielectric properties of inhomogeneous materials, the treatment of the electric field interaction s differentiate the usual modeling formalism and their accuracy. In this paper, we show that the performance of effective medium methods is dependent upon a number of variables - defect concentration, alignment, and the dielectric constant of the material itself. Using our previously developed finite element model of an inhomogeneous dielectric, we have developed models for a number of dielectric films of varying dielectric constant and microstructures. Alignment to of defects parallel to the applied field and the larger defect aspect ratios increase the overall dielectric constant. The extent of these effects is dependent on the dielectric constant of the bulk component.