Influence of pinning effects on the ferroelectric hysteresis in cerium-doped Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6

Abstract

The temporal behavior of ferroelectric domains under external electric field is investigated in cerium-doped strontium-barium-niobate crystals using quasistatic surface-charge detection. The polarization reversal depends strongly on frequency. temperature, dark conductivity, and doping concentration. This so-called electrical aging is attributed to electric pinning centers that hinder the domain-wall motion. We discuss the existence of pinning centers on the basis of the quenched random-field model.