Aging of the ferroelectric hysteresis in Ce-doped Strontium-Barium-Niobate observed by holographic phase gratings

Abstract

The ferroelectric hysteresis of Strontium-Barium-Niobate single crystals doped with Ce (SBN:Ce) is measured by a holographic method. The hysteresis loop flattens out when measured repeatedly. The size of this aging effect strongly depends on the modulation depth m of the light intensity pattern: for m=1 the aging is less pronounced than for smaller m. This behavior is explained in the context of the model of frozen internal charges for the ferroelectric relaxor SBN.