Antiferroelectric thin films for MEMs applications

Abstract

Antiferroelectric compositions have many potential applications in energy conversion and microelectromechanical systems. Electric field induced phase transitions between ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases were studied in antiferroelectric lead zirconate and modified lead zirconate titanate stannate family thin films for various smart system applications. Thin films of various antiferroelectric thin film compositions such as PbZr03, Nb-and La-modified Lead Zirconate Titanate Stannate were processed by pulsed excimer laser ablation technique. Dielectric, hysteresis, pyroelectric and switching properties were studied in detail for a new generation of fimctional materials. A comparative study of functional properties is presented with these antiferroelectric compositions in comparison with the conventional ferroelectric compositions. Kev words Antiferroelectric thin films, pulsed excimer laser ablation, electric field induced phase switching.

Composition-induced antiferroelectric phase and giant strain in lead-free(Nay,Biz)TiGuo1, Gu2, Luo3 et al. 2011Phys. Rev. B1409660View full textAdd to dashboardCite

“…Antiferroelectrics (AFE's) have many potential applications in high-energy storage capacitors, high-strain actuators, pyroelectric sensors [for compositions near ferroelectric (FE) and AFE phase boundary], explosive electrical transducers, and electrical refrigeration. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Especially with the development of microelectronic devices, AFE thin films have huge applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and decoupling capacitors in high-speed dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. [12][13][14] However, there are only a few functional oxides that exhibit antipolar cation displacements that can be fabricated at ambient pressures.…”

“…Thus, PbZrO 3 -based AFE materials have been extensively studied over the past several decades. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] However, a restriction of PbO use in electronic devices is now demanded by environmental legislation in the European Union and part of Asia. 15 The discovery of a new kind of PbO-free AFE compound is therefore extremely urgent from the fundamental scientific perspective and from a device application standpoint.…”

Electric fatigue in antiferroelectric Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.55Sn0.33Ti0.12)O3 ceramics induced by bipolar cycling

“…1,2 These materials, therefore, have been investigated for high strain transducers and actuators. [3][4][5] The materials could also be used as charge storage capacitors since the field forced ferroelectrics release all polarization charges and therefore can supply very high instantaneous current at the inversion of the phase transition, from the ferroelectric to the antiferroelectric state. 6,7 Like ferroelectric materials, the antiferroelectric PZST ceramics, show degradations in polarization and field induced strains when cycled under high ac fields.…”

Polarization fatigue in antiferroelectric (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films: The role of the effective strength of driving waveform

“…However, practical materialization of AFEs involves being exposed to several obstacles. For instance, to achieve the best performances, AFE materials usually operate under a high repetitive ac/dc field [3,7,8]. In this regard, excellent fatigue resistance is of great importance to guarantee the reliability of AFE-based devices.…”