Metastable and field-induced ferroelectric response in antiferroelectric lead zirconate thin film studied by the hyperbolic law and third harmonic response

In this paper, the field-induced residual ferroelectricity in antiferroelectric lead zirconate thin films has been studied by impedance measurements together with a hyperbolic law analysis, which permits us to extract the different contributions to the material's complex permittivity. By measuring the Rayleigh coefficient a r, it appears that the residual ferroelectricity is considerably enhanced when the sample has been previously exposed to an electric field close to the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric transition field. This indicates that a part of the material remains ferroelectric after the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric backward transition, which constitutes an additional contribution to polarization. Consequently, a higher domain wall density and mobility can be observed. Measurements after exposition to thermal treatment show that this ferroelectric response is metastable.

Automated summary

The field-induced residual ferroelectricity in antiferroelectric lead zirconate thin films has been studied by impedance measurements and hyperbolic law analysis. It is found that the residual ferroelectricity is significantly enhanced when the sample is exposed to an electric field close to the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric transition field. This indicates the presence of a part of the material that remains ferroelectric after the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric backward transition, contributing to polarization. A higher domain wall density and mobility are observed as a result. The measurements after thermal treatment show that this ferroelectric response is metastable.