An Influence of Mechanical Stresses on the Magnitude of the Internal Field in Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films.

In self-polarized lead zirconate titanate thin films formed on platinized silicon substrates, a significant increase in the internal electric field was observed as a result of long-term aging. To explain this phenomenon, a mechanism is proposed for the formation of the internal field associated with the diffusion of charged oxygen vacancies, which, in turn, is due to the action of a mechanical stress gradient. The diffusion coefficient of charged oxygen vacancies was estimated to be ~ 3 × 10–16 cm2/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]