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Abstract
Lanthanum-doped lead zirconate titanate samples (PLZT 8.4/65/35) were prepared and mechanically ground and polished. Some of these were treated by argon ion beam bombardment to remove mechanically-damaged surface layers. Ion etching followed by annealing caused an increase in the permittivity, spontaneous polarization and pyroelectric coefficient. The Surface Laser Intensity Modulation Method (SLIMM) was used to study the spatial distribution of the spontaneous polarization in the region close to the electroded surfaces of the PLZT materials. The results showed the presence of an unpoled surface layer in the unetched samples with a thickness of about 1.4 μm. Ion-beam etching removed the unpoled region and caused some reverse polarization resulting in an improvement in the dielectric properties.