Properties of Electrooptic (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O3 Ceramics Fabricated by Partial Coprecipitation Method

Abstract

Electrooptic ceramics of (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O₃ were fabricated by a combination of the partial-coprecipitation and doctor-blade methods. The PLZT powder, with particles of submicron size that were excellently dispersed, was prepared by (Zr, Ti)O₂ solid-solution powder and PbO and La₂O₃ oxide powders. The large-scale PLZT ceramics with the dimension of 10×10∼20 cm and thickness of 1.5 mm were molded by the doctor-blade method and then conventionally sintered at 1200∼1250°C for 20∼60 h under the controlled condition of PbO and oxygen atmosphere. The fabricated PLZT ceramics with 0.5 mm thickness showed the transmittance of 65∼67% in the range of wavelength greater than 600 nm, and the quadratic electrooptical coefficient of 4.5×10^-16 O²/V².