FERROELECTRIC

PHENOMENA
 FERROELECTRICITY

Property of certain non conducting crystals, or dielectrics, that exhibit spontaneous electric

polarization  (separation of the center of positive and negative electric charge, making one side of
the crystal positive and the opposite side negative) that can be reversed in direction by the
application of an appropriate electric field
 POLARIZATION

•  The action of polarizing or state of being or becoming polarized.

• An electrical dipole is an arrangement where two equal and opposite charges are held at very
small distance to each other
• When any dielectric substances is kept inside any electric field then the effect of this field
induces electrical dipoles in the material and try to align them into field direction. In addition to
the generation of new electric dipoles, external field also try to align already existed dipoles and
we have the combined effect. This total effect of an external electric field on any dielectric
material is called polarization of the dielectric substance.
 CURIE TEMPERATURE

• A certain temperature below which few materials show ferroelectric phenomena.

HYSTERESIS TEMPERATURE
the variation of polarization is not linear for ferroelectric crystals but forms a close loop called hysteresis

Materials other than ferroelectrics have linear relaton between polarization and electric field when graph is
plotted between them
 FERROELECTRICITY
AN INTRODUCTION
• These materials are characterized by the presence of spontaneous dielectric polarization
• There are pre existing dipoles in these materials even in the absence of external electric field
• They originate from the minor deviation from crystallographic symmetry or inherent symmetry
in the crystal structure of these materials
• These are electrical analogue of ferromagnetic materials
 HISTORY OF FERROELECTRICITY

• The phenomenon of ferroelectricity was first discovered in Rochelle salt( Sodium Potassium
tatrate) during 1920s.
• This was followed by the discovery of similar properties in KDP (potassium di-hydrogen
phosphate)during 1930s.
• The discovery of most important ferroelectric ceramics BaTio3. took place during 1940s.
 DOMAINS

• When electric field is zero no polarization acours, when electric field is zero the polarization is
still not zero this phenomena is known as ferroelectric phenomena this could be better under
stood by the concept of domains
 DOMAINS

• When we increase the electric fields some portion of the crystal is now oriented in a single
direction.
• When we further increase electric fields all the crystals are going to be oriented in the same
direction
FERROELECTRICITY PHENOMENA
 BARIUM TITRATE
a=b≠c
The give c side is bigger of other both sides
The structure is not completely symmetrical but

There is always some distortion in the structure

 TOP VIEW
The center black shape is titanium ion which is not exactly in
the center while the both oxygen atoms
Are also dislocated. These both phenomenans produces the
+ve and –ve poles and hence the molecule gets polarized.
• The phenomena discussed in previous slides shows that the distortion in the structure and the
dislocation of the titanium and oxygen ions from there original positions which creates positive
and negative poles up ward and downward respectively which are produced spontaneously and
hence the spontaneous phenomena.
• The mechanism of orientation polarization dominates over all other mechanisms.
• There are ferroelectric domains within which all the dipoles are in parallel orientation
• At zero field there is no net polarization due to random orientation of the domains,
• These are examples of non linear dielectrics giving rise to ferroelectric hysteresis when
polarization is plotted against electric field
• On application of the field favorably oriented domains grow at the expense of the not so
favorably oriented domains.
• The polarization becomes maximum when all the the domains become parallel to the direction of
the applied field.