Electrical Properties of Niobium-Doped Ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Sn, Ti)O3 Ceramics

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Abstract
Hysteresis loop, pulse switching, and aging measurements have been made as a function of composition, sample preparation and thickness, electrode material and size, on 24 rhombohedral ferroelectrics from the Pb0.99[(ZrxSny)1−z Tiz]0.98Nb0.02O3 ceramic family to determine their properties and usefulness for device applications. Results show that many of these ceramics have extremely high remanent polarization, saturation polarization, loop squareness, tolerance‐to‐matrix‐type disturb pulses, switching speed, and minimal excitation aging. The polarizations, squareness, apparent coercive field, disturb‐pulse tolerance, and aging of the apparent coerive field all increase with increasing x/y. The definite dependence of the properties on z is, in general, random. Samples prepared with smooth surfaces, such as by polishing or doctor‐blading, had properties approaching those of a single crystal. The observed electrode‐edge effects can be explained in ceramic terms. These materials, while retaining all the conventional advantages of ceramics, have electrical properties equal to, and in some cases, such as polarizations and disturb‐pulse tolerance, superior to single‐crystal ferroelectrics. These ceramics are thus very suitable for ferroelectric memory and display devices.