The effect of electric field switching modes on polarization properties of the lead zirconate titanate-based epitaxial heterostructures

In order to extend the serviceability of ferroelectric devices, this paper proposes an experimental approach (for the first time) to clearing up the mechanism of polarization fatigue development in a lead zirconate titanate-based ferroelectric thin film. For this purpose, the influence of the recording pulse sequence configuration on the polarization of a selected object has been analyzed. The coercive field (CF) and remanent polarization of ferroelectric hysteresis loops were compared under two electric field application modes (they differed in the order of positive and negative pulses). The change in CF components was found to be insignificant during cyclic switching, whereas the difference between CF values reached 10% or more after pauses between the measurements. Experiments showed that the polarity of the final pulse of the switching signal set favorable conditions for stabilizing domains in the film whose dipole moment was aligned with the pulse polarity, and after resuming the measurements, a field of higher intensity was required to reverse the polarization.