Abstract
The theoretical backgrounds and some experimental data on the electronic properties of polycrystalline Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 solid solutions are summarized. These substances occur in the perovskite structure, and so their electronic band structure is presumed to be analogous to other perovskite compounds. Their forbidden gap energy has been determined to be about 3.30–3.56 eV on the basis of optical, photoacoustical, and photoelectrical measurements. Many local levels and traps exist in the forbidden gap because of the polycrystalline character and heterovalent doping. Their actual configurations and states strongly influence the optical, photoelectrical, piezoelectrical, and other physical properties of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 solid solutions.