Phase transformation and electric field tunable pyroelectric behavior of Pb (Nb,Zr,Sn,Ti)O₃ and (Pb,La) (Zr,Sn,Ti)O₃ antiferroelectric thin films

Phase transformation and pyroelectric behavior of Pb (Nb,Zr,Sn,Ti) O3 (PNZST) and (Pb,La) (Zr,Sn,Ti) O3 (PLZST) antiferroelectric (AFE) thin films were investigated as a function of temperature and dc bias field. A large pyroelectric coefficient of the order of ∼3× 10-7 C cm-2 K-1 was realized at the ferroelectric (FE) to AFE and the AFE to FE phase transformations in the PLZST and PNZST films, respectively. The phase transformation temperature could be readily adjusted by dc bias for both films. The large pyroelectric coefficient combined with excellent dc tunability at the phase transformation temperature makes these two systems promising candidates for uncooled tunable pyroelectric thermal sensing applications. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.