Piezoelectric Response of Relaxor Solid Solution Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃-BaTiO₃ Single Crystal Grown by Bridgman Method

Abstract

While macroscopic observation reveals non-switching of domain in Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (NBT)-BaTiO₃ (Ba;0.33%) rhombohedral (001) plate, microscopic observation, using the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), reveals two kinds of piezoresponse images, one with domain switching and the other without one. Such microscopic remarkable difference of domain switching depends on the coercive field caused by localized nucleation of domains with reversed polarization. Such coercive fields was discussed from the viewpoint of the relaxor states resulting from random fields based on lattice defects due to Bi ions and oxygen vacancies.

Keywords:

• Bi-based relaxor solid solution single crystal
• Random fields
• Lattice defects
• Coercive field
• Domain-switching

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Dr. O. Nakao of Fujikura for supplying single crystals of BaTiO₃ and Dr Y. Tachi of JFE MINERAL for supplying single crystals of PMN-PT and Dr. O. Sakurada of Gifu University for ICP analysis and Mr. Y.Koida of RIGAKU for the fluorescent X-ray analysis. This work was supported in part by the Nippon Sheet Glass Foundation for Materials Science and Technology and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No. 16360150) and (c) (No. 20560633) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.