Ferroelectric fatigue of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films measured in atmospheres of varying oxygen concentration

Abstract

Ferroelectric fatigue in ${\mathrm{Pb(Zr,Ti)O}}_{\mathrm{3}}$ films was found to be remarkably sensitive to the oxygen partial pressure of the atmosphere above the film during measurement. Films with Zr/Ti ratios of 55/45 and 75/25 were subjected to ferroelectric fatigue testing at room temperature in atmospheres of various oxygen partial pressure, or $p{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}.$ The number of switching cycles at which the onset of fatigue occurred was found to be sharply peaked with respect to the oxygen partial pressure surrounding the sample. Such a striking dependence on the oxygen concentration strongly supports current theories for fatigue that involve oxygen vacancy migration.