Description du projet
Une nouvelle famille de matériaux en ferrite ouvre la voie aux communications sans fil de nouvelle génération
Les futurs systèmes de communication sans fil vont utiliser des ondes électromagnétiques de plus haute fréquence, dites ondes millimétriques et térahertz, afin de transmettre davantage de données à des vitesses plus élevées. Pour chacune de ces deux bandes de fréquences, l’utilisation de ferrites micro-ondes standard nécessiterait des champs magnétiques externes importants, incompatibles avec les dispositifs sans fil plus compacts et économes en énergie. Afin de remédier à ce problème, le projet FeMiT, financé par l’UE, développe une nouvelle famille de ferrites orthorhombiques basées sur ε-Fe2O3, un matériau multiferroïque présentant une grande anisotropie magnétocristalline à température ambiante. Ses caractéristiques structurelles uniques en font une excellente plateforme pour le développement des matériaux fonctionnels recherchés pour les futurs dispositifs sans fil plus compacts.
Objectif
Robust disruptive materials will be essential for the “wireless everywhere” to become a reality. This is because we need a paradigm shift in mobile communications to meet the challenges of such an ambitious evolution. In particular, some of these emerging technologies will trigger the replacement of the magnetic microwave ferrites in use today. This will namely occur with the forecasted shift to high frequency mm-wave and THz bands and in novel antennas that can simultaneously transmit and receive data on the same frequency. In both cases, operating with state-of-the-art ferrites would require large external magnetic fields incompatible with future needs of smaller, power-efficient devices.
To overcome these issues, we target ferrites featuring the so far unmet combinations of low magnetic loss and large values of magnetocrystalline anisotropy, magnetostriction or magnetoelectric coupling.
The objective of FeMiT is developing a novel family of orthorhombic ferrites based on ε-Fe2O3, a room-temperature multiferroic with large magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Those properties and unique structural features make it an excellent platform to develop the sought-after functional materials for future compact and energy-efficient wireless devices.
In the first part of FeMiT we will explore the limits and diversity of this new family by exploiting rational chemical substitutions, high pressures and strain engineering. Soft chemistry and physical deposition methods will be both considered at this stage.
The second part of FeMiT entails a characterization of functional properties and selection of the best candidates to be integrated in composite and epitaxial films suitable for application. The expected outcomes will provide proof-of-concept self-biased or voltage-controlled signal-processing devices with low losses in the mm-wave to THz bands, with high potential impact in the development of future wireless technologies.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitution d’accueil
28006 Madrid
Espagne