Comparing the performance fluctuation of direct and alternating current poling Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 ferroelectric single crystals

Large-size Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) based ferroelectric single crystals have been grown successfully by the vertical Bridgman method for application in the field of high-end piezoelectric devices. The piezoelectric and dielectric performance uniformity of PMN-PT based ferroelectric crystals is a critical application requirement. Recently, alternating current poling (ACP) has attracted much attention due to its low cost and high efficiency in improving the piezoelectric properties of PMN-PT based crystals. Here, we report the comparison of the performance fluctuation of direct current poling (DCP) and ACP Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) ferroelectric single crystals grown in the [110] direction using the vertical Bridgman method. The fluctuation of piezoelectric coefficient d33, dielectric constant ɛT33/ɛ0, and dielectric loss tanδ was presented. We found that the average d33 and ɛT33/ɛ0 of ACP samples are 1290 and 1500 pC/N and 3890 and 4290 for two different wafers, which were 18% and 23%, 21% and 26% higher than DCP samples. The tanδ of ACP samples was much lower than that of DCP samples. The DCP and ACP samples exhibited the close data of the fluctuation ratios of d33 and ɛT33/ɛ0. The fluctuation ratios of d33 and ɛT33/ɛ0 for DCP and ACP samples are all less than 10%. This work offers a reference for practical ACP technique applications.