Ferroelectrics

Combining both fundamental principles and real-life applications in a single volume, this book discusses the latest research results in ferroelectrics, including many new ferroelectric materials for the latest technologies, such as capacitors, transducers and memories. The first two chapters introduce dielectrics and microscopic materials properties, while the following chapter discusses pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity. The larger part of the text is devoted to ferroelectricity and ferroelectric ceramics, with not only their fundamentals but also applications discussed. The book concludes with a look at the future for laser printed materials and applications. With over 600 references to recent publications on piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, this is an invaluable reference for physicists, materials scientists and engineers.

Today’s wireless communications and information systems are heavily based on microwave technology. Current trends indicate that in the future along with - crowaves, the millimeter wave and Terahertz technologies will be used to meet the growing bandwidth and overall performance requirements. Moreover, motivated by the needs of the society, new industry sectors are gaining ground; such as wi- less sensor networks, safety and security systems, automotive, medical, envir- mental/food monitoring, radio tags etc. Furthermore, the progress and the pr- lems in the modern society indicate that in the future these systems have to be more user/consumer friendly, i. e. adaptable, reconfigurable and cost effective. The mobile phone is a typical example which today is much more than just a phone; it includes a range of new functionalities such as Internet, GPS, TV, etc. To handle, in a cost effective way, all available and new future standards, the growing n- ber of the channels and bandwidth both the mobile handsets and the associated systems have to be agile (adaptable/reconfigurable). The complex societal needs have initiated considerable activities in the field of cognitive and software defined radios and triggered extensive research in adequate components and technology platforms. To meet the stringent requirements of these systems, especially in ag- ity and cost, new components with enhanced performances and new functionalities are needed. In this sense the components based on ferroelectrics have greater - tential and already are gaining ground.

This is a standard work on ferroelectrics.

The past two decades have witnessed revolutionary breakthroughs in the understanding of ferroelectric materials, both from the perspective of theory and experiment. This book addresses the paradigmatic shifts in understanding brought about by these breakthroughs, including the consideration of novel fabrication methods and nanoscale applications of these materials, and new theoretical methods such as the effective Hamiltonian approach and density functional theory.

Ferroelectric materials exhibit a wide spectrum of functional properties, including switchable polarization, piezoelectricity, high non-linear optical activity, pyroelectricity, and non-linear dielectric behaviour. These properties are crucial for application in electronic devices such as sensors, microactuators, infrared detectors, microwave phase filters and, non-volatile memories. This unique combination of properties of ferroelectric materials has attracted researchers and engineers for a long time. This book reviews a wide range of diverse topics related to the phenomenon of ferroelectricity (in the bulk as well as thin film form) and provides a forum for scientists, engineers, and students working in this field. The present book containing 24 chapters is a result of contributions of experts from international scientific community working in different aspects of ferroelectricity related to experimental and theoretical work aimed at the understanding of ferroelectricity and their utilization in devices. It provides an up-to-date insightful coverage to the recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, functional properties and potential device applications in specialized areas.

Combining both fundamental principles and real-life applications in a single volume, this book discusses the latest research results in ferroelectrics, including many new ferroelectric materials for the latest technologies, such as capacitors, transducers and memories. The first two chapters introduce dielectrics and microscopic materials properties, while the following chapter discusses pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity. The larger part of the text is devoted to ferroelectricity and ferroelectric ceramics, with not only their fundamentals but also applications discussed. The book concludes with a look at the future for laser printed materials and applications. With over 600 references to recent publications on piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, this is an invaluable reference for physicists, materials scientists and engineers.

Ferroelectric materials have been and still are widely used in many applications, that have moved from sonar towards breakthrough technologies such as memories or optical devices. This book is a part of a four volume collection (covering material aspects, physical effects, characterization and modeling, and applications) and focuses on the underlying mechanisms of ferroelectric materials, including general ferroelectric effect, piezoelectricity, optical properties, and multiferroic and magnetoelectric devices. The aim of this book is to provide an up-to-date review of recent scientific findings and recent advances in the field of ferroelectric systems, allowing a deep understanding of the physical aspect of ferroelectricity.

Research on ferroelectricity and ferroelectric materials started in 1920 with the discovery by Valasek that the variation of spontaneous polarization in Rochelle salt with sign and magnitude of an applied electric field traced a complete and reproducible hysteresis loop. Activity in the field was sporadic until 1935, when Busch and co-workers announced the observation of similar behavior in potassium dihydrogen phosphate and related compounds. Progress thereafter continued at a modest level with the undertaking of some theoretical as well as further experimental studies. In 1944, von Hippel and co-workers discovered ferroelectricity in barium titanate. The technological importance of ceramic barium titanate and other perovskites led to an upsurge of interest, with many new ferroelectrics being identified in the following decade. By 1967, about 2000 papers on various aspects of ferroelectricity had been published. The bulk of this widely dispersed literature was concerned with the experimental measurement of dielectric, crystallographic, thermal, electromechanical, elastic, optical, and magnetic properties. A critical and excellently organized cpmpilation based on these data appeared in 1969 with the publica tion of Landolt-Bornstein, Volume 111/3. This superb tabulation gave instant access to the results in the literature on nearly 450 pure substances and solid solutions of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials. Continuing interest in ferroelectrics, spurred by the growing importance of electrooptic crystals, resulted in the publication of almost as many additional papers by the end of 1969 as had been surveyed in Landolt-Bornstein.