Ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics

Abstract

Ferroelectric crystals ferroelectricinorganic crystalferroelectricorganic crystalferroelectricliquid crystalferroelectricpolymer (especially oxides in the form of ceramics) are important basic materials for technological applications in capacitors capacitor and in piezoelectric devicepiezoelectric, pyroelectric devicepyroelectric, and optical devices deviceoptical. In many cases their nonlinear characteristics turn out to be very useful, for example in optical second-harmonic generators opticalsecond-harmonic generator and other nonlinear optical devices nonlinear opticaldevice. In recent decades, ceramic thin-film ferroelectrics ceramic thin filmferroelectric have been utilized intensively as parts of memory devices memory device. Liquid crystal liquid crystal (LC)ferroelectric and polymer ferroelectrics polymerferroelectric are utilized in the broad field of fast displays fast display in electronic equipment. This chapter surveys the nature of ferroelectrics, making reference to the data presented in the Landolt–Börnstein data collection Numerical Data and Functional Relationships in Science and Technology, Vol. III∕36, Ferroelectrics and Related Substances (LB III∕36). The data in the figures in this chapter have been taken mainly from the Landolt–Börnstein collection. The Landolt–Börnstein volume mentioned above consists of three subvolumes: Subvolume A [24.1, 24.2], covering oxidesoxideferroelectricSubvolume B [24.3], covering inorganic crystalsinorganic ferroelectric other than oxidesSubvolume C [24.4], covering organic crystalsorganic ferroelectric, liquid crystals, and polymers.