PLD of Piezoelectric and Ferroelectric Materials

The direct piezoelectric effect consists of the generation of a macroscopic polarization in certain dielectric materials when subjected to stress. A class of the polar piezoelectrics is ferroelectrics. Ferroelectrics are characterized by a spontaneous polarization which can be switched by applying an electric field; its expression is a typical hysteresis loop polarization P–electric field E. They undergo a structural phase transition from a high temperature paraelectric into a low-temperature ferroelectric phase at Curie temperature. The preparation of these materials in thin film form is a challenging problem, due to their complex composition, the appearance of metastable phases, crystallinity, interface problems, defects, oxygen vacancies, etc. The possibility of transferring complicated stoichiometries directly from the target to a collector pushed pulsed laser deposition to a top position to be applied for piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin films growth. Results obtained in the field of pulsed laser deposition of piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin films are presented.