Double-peak switching current in soft ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate

Abstract

Switching current measurements have been carried out on a soft lead zirconate titanate ͑PXE52, donor doped, modified proprietary composition with the overall formula PbZr 0.415 Ti 0.585 O 3 ͒. The experiments showed a single switching current peak during the application of electric field to a nonpoled ͑virgin͒ sample. However, an unusual double peak for the switching current was observed upon reversing the electric field polarity. The pyrocurrent for a forward and reverse poled sample showed a related behavior. A single pyropeak is observed in the forward poled case and broadened peak was observed in case of a reverse poled sample. This behavior is attributed to non-180°domain switching during the reverse poled case as a result of residual stresses developed during the forward poling.

Low temperature ferroelectric behavior in morphotropic Pb (Zr1−xTix)O3

“…In contrast, at 100 K, the reduction in the average polarization parallel to the switching field is accompanied by substantial build up in the P x and P y components showing polarization rotation to within a standard deviation (Figure A). A similar switching mechanism has been described in MD simulations of tetragonal PbTiO 3 in which the system switched via an intermediate orthorhombic phase and supports experimentally observed double current peaks in prepoled PZT identifying non‐180 ◦ switching . We note that for the low temperatures case the standard deviation in P x,y slightly increases during the switching event, which is indicative of bond softening and the remnants of the competing rotational mechanism.…”

“…A similar switching mechanism has been described in MD simulations of tetragonal PbTiO 3 in which the system switched via an intermediate orthorhombic phase 25 and supports experimentally observed double current peaks in prepoled PZT identifying non-180 • switching. 36 We note that for the low temperatures case the standard deviation in P x,y slightly increases during the switching event, which is indicative of bond softening 34 and the remnants of the competing rotational mechanism. At the higher temperature the system responded to the applied field by nucleation of small reversed domains that can switch rapidly.…”

Ferroelectric polarization reversal via successive ferroelastic transitions

“…Although the nucleation-and-growth process for 180 • switching events is fairly well understood, little evidence for 90 • -switchingmediated domain reversal has been presented. It has been suggested that broadened (or double) current peaks during reverse switching of previously poled PbZr 0.415 Ti 0.585 O 3 ceramics could be the result of non-180 • domain switching due the residual stresses developed during forward poling 43 44,45 . Despite these observations, the mechanisms underlying such behaviour are not entirely clear 46 and no direct measurements and examples of 90 • -switching-mediated domain reversal have been reported in the literature.…”

Contributions of domain wall motion to complex electromechanical coefficients of 0.62Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.38PbTiO3 crystals

“…The strain tensors are the same on the two sides of a 180°domain wall, so that 180°domain wall movements generally contribute only to the electric loss. 19 The 90°domain walls refer to walls between variants which differ in both polarization vector and strain tensor. Both 180°and 90°domain walls generally form to reduce the effects of depolarization fields, whereas only 90°domain walls may minimize the elastic energy.…”

“…The developing of internal stress due to an electric field is observed experimentally two decades ago. 19,20 For PMN-38%PT with tetragonal perovskite structure, the relationship between the mechanical loss factor, electric loss factor and the poling field are shown in Figs. 7.…”