Near electrode fatigue in lead zirconate titanate ceramics

Abstract
Fatigue in ferroelectric materials is partly due to a complex interplay of ferroelectric ceramic and electrode material. Different types of silver electrodes were tested for their effect on fatigue. Material damage mostly occurs in the near-electrode volume. Removal of material to different depths from the electrode yields different degrees of recovery of device properties depending on electrode material and cycle number. Polarization hysteresis, time resolved switching, and small signal dielectric and piezoelectric measurements are equally affected.