Wall velocities, switching times, and the stabilization mechanism of 180{degree} domains in congruent LiTaO{sub 3} crystals
- Center for Materials Science, MS K765, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
A systematic study of the kinetics of 180{degree} domains as a function of external electric field is presented for Z-cut LiTaO{sub 3} single crystal wafers at room temperature using transient current measurements combined with {ital nondestructive} and {ital real-time} imaging of 180{degree} domains by light microscopy. The switching time, wall velocity, and nucleation rate follow an exponential behavior with the applied field. A model is proposed which shows that the nucleation and sideways growth of domains play approximately equal parts in determining the switching time. A domain stabilization process occurs on the time scale of a few seconds even at electric fields where the switching time is milliseconds or less. We show that this stabilization process has a strong correlation to the internal fields in the crystal. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}
- OSTI ID:
- 565662
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 83, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Jan 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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