Nb:BST:: Crystal growth and ferroelectric properties

Nb substituted barium strontium titanate single crystals were grown by the high-temperature solution growth technique with different Nb concentrations. The growth conditions were optimized to grow good quality large sized single crystals. Nb doping reduced the twin formation considerably and yielded bulk single crystals. A surface morphology observation indicates layer and hopper growth mechanisms. Powder X-ray diffraction studies show an increase in cia ratio with Nb content, and ferroelectric studies revealed a decrease in curie temperature and a sharp increase in dielectric constant and spontaneous polarization. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.