Effects of Oxygen Ion Irradiation on PZT Modified Ferroelectric Materials for Space Applications

Abstract

Padmaja Guggillia, Ryan Moxon, A.K. Batra and Rachel Powell

Lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) is an important and high performance piezoelectric and pyroelectric relaxor material having wide range of applications in infrared sensor devices. Present work studies the fabrication and dielectric characteristics of PMN-PT in the bulk form. The PMN-PT bulk material was prepared in sol-gel method and subsequently irradiated with heavy ion oxygen. The materials were analyzed and determined that the relaxor ferroelectric material indicated changes in its dielectric constant and pyroelectric coefficient after irradiation. Due to the radiation fluent of 1×1016 ions/cm2 , the dielectric constant of the material increased uniformly, while its pyroelectric coefficient showed a sharp increased to the value of 5×10-9 μC/cm2 °C with increase in temperature. Its dielectric constants showed increase in values of 527 μC/cm2 °C at 50°C, 635 μC/ cm2 °C at 60°C and 748 μC/cm2 °C at 70°C. Properties such as the material impedance, admittance and modulus were investigated for changes in properties which became evident after irradiation. In this paper effect of oxygen ion irradiation on the LiTaO3 and two commercial samples BM 300 and BM 941 are also reported and analyzed. All these bulk materials were functional even after irradiation and was showing enhancement in some of the key characteristics of ferroelectric material.

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