Ferroelectrics and Antiferroelectrics

Abstract

Ferroelectric crystals (especially oxides in the form of ceramics) are important basic materials for technological applications in capacitors capacitor and in piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and optical devices. In many cases their nonlinear characteristics turn out to be very useful, for example in optical second-harmonic generators optical second-harmonic generator and other nonlinear optical devices. nonlinear optical device In recent decades, ceramic thin-film ferroelectrics have been utilized intensively as parts of memory devices. memory devices Liquid crystal liquid crystal ferroelectrics and polymer ferroelectrics polymer ferroelectrics are utilized in the broad field of fast displays fast displays 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 [5.1,2], covering oxides; oxide ferroelectrics Subvolume B [5.3], covering inorganic crystals inorganic ferroelectrics other than oxides; and Subvolume C [5.4], covering organic crystals, organic ferroelectrics liquid crystals, and polymers.