Radio Ceramics

any of the dielectrics or articles made from dielectrics that are produced by the methods of ceramic technology and used as components in radio engineering apparatus. In contrast to the ceramics used in electrical engineering, radio ceramics are used at comparatively low voltages (several hundred volts) and high frequencies (several megahertz and higher). An appropriate choice of materials, for example, high-alumina ceramics, steatites, or forsterite ceramics, allows the production of radio ceramics with the required properties, such as high or low dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor. It is characteristic of most types of radio ceramics to remain in operation for a long period without exhibiting any signs of wear. These ceramics maintain their dielectric properties even at elevated temperatures and can be firmly soldered to certain metals. In addition to conventional techniques (see ), special forming operations are employed in the manufacture of items from radio ceramics. One example is a casting technique, which is used to obtain films for capacitors with thicknesses of 20–100 micrometers.