Piezoelectric Properties of Pb1−xLax(Zr0.52Ti0.48)1−x/4O3 Thin Films Studied by In Situ X-ray Diffraction

Thomas W Cornelius (1) , Cristian Mocuta (2) , Stephanie Escoubas (1) , Luiz R M Lima (3) , Eudes B Araújo (3) , Andrei Kholkin (4) , Olivier Thomas (1)

1 IM2NP - Institut des Matériaux, de Microélectronique et des Nanosciences de Provence
2 SSOLEIL - Synchrotron SOLEIL
3 UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho = São Paulo State University
4 CICECO - Departments of Physics

The piezoelectric properties of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate Pb1−xLax(Zr0.52Ti0.48)1−x/4O3 thin films, with x = 0, 3 and 12 mol% La, were studied by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction under direct (DC) and alternating (AC) electric fields, with AC frequencies covering more than four orders of magnitude. The Bragg reflections for thin films with low lanthanum concentration exhibit a double-peak structure, indicating two contributions, whereas thin films with 12% La possess a well-defined Bragg peak with a single component. In addition, built-in electric fields are revealed for low La concentrations, while they are absent for thin films with 12% of La. For static and low frequency AC electric fields, all lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate thin films exhibit butterfly loops, whereas linear piezoelectric behavior is found for AC frequencies larger than 1 Hz.

Mots clés: X-ray diffraction; piezoelectric properties; lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT)

Domaines: Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Thomas W Cornelius, Cristian Mocuta, Stephanie Escoubas, Luiz R M Lima, Eudes B Araújo, et al.. Piezoelectric Properties of Pb1−xLax(Zr0.52Ti0.48)1−x/4O3 Thin Films Studied by In Situ X-ray Diffraction. Materials, 2020, 13 (15), pp.3338. ⟨10.3390/ma13153338⟩. ⟨hal-02907382⟩