Enhanced radiation tolerance in Mn-doped ferroelectric thin films
Abstract
This work investigates the role of Mn-doping of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films exposed to a range of ionizing radiation doses. PZT thin films were fabricated with both undoped and 4% Mn-doped compositions, and the functional response was compared both before and after exposure to gamma radiation doses up to 10 Mrad. A phenomenological model was applied to quantify defect interactions and compare trends in the degradation of the functional response. Mn-doped PZT samples demonstrate reduced magnitude of functional response in non-irradiated samples but exhibit vastly superior radiation tolerance of dielectric and ferroelectric properties across the range of gamma doses studied here. Strong MnZ r /T i ″-VO.. defect dipoles pin domain walls, resulting in a lower initial functional response and mitigating the deleterious effects of irradiation on extrinsic contributions to the said response. Piezoelectric response trends as a function of radiation dose are highly nonlinear. The results of this work can be leveraged to engineer next-generation radiation-tolerant ferroelectric materials for applications where high levels of functional response stability are required, especially at elevated ionizing radiation dose.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- July 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.4992791
- Bibcode:
- 2017ApPhL.111b2906B