Ferroelectric Ceramics for Dielectric Electromechanical and Pyroelectric Applications

The growth of integrated circuit applications has been a strong influence in the expansion of markets for ferroelectric ceramics. Ferroelectrics perform three major functions in circuits:1. They store energy with a high volume efficiency,2. They have very useful large changes in impedance with frequency, and3. They transduce between various energy forms and electrical signals.For many years commercial ferroelectric ceramics have been dominated by the barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) systems. A tremendous research effort has been dedicated to these systems with very interesting studies still progressing on basic understanding, reproducibility, and modifications to utilize inexpensive electrodes. Processing studies are also seeking to reduce the size of devices and develop new transducing and sensing applications. The need to reduce cost and to fulfill specific applications is creating demands for new materials. Much of this effort has centered on lead-based systems referred to as relaxor ferroelectrics.The areas of application of ferroelectrics are narrowed in this review by eliminating the interfacial (grain-grain boundary) devices and electro-optic applications discussed in “Electronic Ceramic Thin Films” by Bruce Tuttle in this issue. Also, this article can only cover a small fraction of the information indicated by the title.