Direct Current‐Voltage Failure of Lead‐Based Relaxor Ferroelectrics with Silver Doping

Abstract

The effect of silver doping on the DC‐voltage resistance failure of lead‐based relaxor ferroelectrics was investigated via temperature‐humidity‐bias (THB) testing, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. The failure rate of silver‐doped specimens was found to increase significantly with the doping level during the THB test. However, some degraded specimens can partially recover their electrical properties after a few days of storing in natural conditions. X‐ray diffraction analysis showed that silver could be incorporated into the perovskite lattice in the range of silver contents studied. The presence of an inner‐bias field in the degraded ceramics was first demonstrated through hysteresis property measurement. Based on these results, it was inferred that the accumulation of oxygen vacancies under DC‐voltage should be responsible for the inner‐bias field, which consequently resulted in the increase of electronic defects in the ceramics.