Stretched exponential relaxation in perovskite ferroelectrics after cyclic loading

The switching kinetics in fatigued polycrystalline bulk ferroelectrics do not exhibit relaxation with a singular time constant but rather stretched exponential behavior. Several microscopic mechanisms are discussed to explain this effect for a polycrystalline material. Some of the mechanisms may apply equally well to thin films, others are characteristic of a macroscopic sample or a thick film. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.