The effect of ionizing radiation on sol-gel ferroelectric PZT capacitors

Ferroelectric (FE) thin-film capacitors are irradiated to 100 Mrad(Si) with 10-keV X-rays. Some of the FE hysteresis loops show distortion at 5 Mrad(Si). The type and degree of distortion are dependent on the polarization state and/or the applied field during irradiation. Preliminary results indicate that a fraction of the radiation-induced damage can be removed simply by cycling the FE capacitor with a 20-kHz square wave. The amount of damage removed is dependent upon the radiation conditions.<
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