Hot-Pressed (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 Ferroelectric Ceramics for Electrooptic Applications

Transparent ferroelectric ceramic materials suitable for a variety of electrooptic applications were found in the quaternary (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃ system. These PLZT materials are prepared from mixed oxides and hot-pressed typically at 1100°C for 16 h at 2000 psi. Modifying the lead zirconate-titanate system with lanthana linearly reduces the Curie point with increasing lanthana. Transmission measurements in the visible and infrared show that these materials exhibit a nearly constant response from the absorption edge of 0.37 μ to ∼6 μm. The highest transmission values, essentially 100% (neglecting reflection losses of ∼18%) for thin polished plates, were noted for compositions containing 8 at.% La or more. Specific compositions within the system display electrooptic memory or conventional linear or quadratic electrooptic effects; on the basis of the magnitude of the electrooptic effects, they compare quite favorably with single crystals.