Barrier heights, polarization switching, and electrical fatigue in Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramics with different electrodes

The influence of Pt, tin-doped In2O₃, and RuO₂ electrodes on the electrical fatigue of bulk ceramic Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) has been studied. Schottky barrier heights at the ferroelectric/electrode interfaces vary by more than one electronvolt for different electrode materials and do not depend on crystallographic orientation of the interface. Despite different barrier heights, hysteresis loops of polarization, strain, permittivity, and piezoelectric constant and the switching kinetics are identical for all electrodes. A 20% reduction in polarization after 106 bipolar cycles is observed for all the samples. In contrast to PZT thin films, the loss of remanent polarization with bipolar switching cycles does not significantly depend on the electrode material.