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The dynamics of domain breakdown is studied experimentally and theoretically in stoichiometric lithium niobate (LN) crystals. The results have shown that domain formation processes occurring in bulk and ultrathin crystals are very different, and it is attributed to the observed difference in depolarization energy dependence on the domain length.

Research on gate dielectrics is examined in detail, with a focus on high temperature stability for zirconia and lanthana used in gate dielectrics.

PLZT capacitors and their dielectric relaxation and leakage current properties were studied.

(Ba,Sr)TiO3 (BST) thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition and with platinum top and bottom electrodes were characterized with respect to the leakage current as a function of temperature and applied voltage. A thermionic emission model was used to interpret the data. The Schottky approximation accounts for superohmic behavior at higher fields but the barrier lowering is stronger than expected from this theory. The influence of the film thickness on the leakage and other additional findings were used to discuss the field distribution in the films under a dc voltage stress.

Pb(Zr(x)Ti(1-x))O3 (PZT) thin film capacitors fabricated with the aid of Pt, RuO2 hybrid electrodes possess low leakage currents and polarization fatigue, implying their applicability in nonvolatile memories. These capacitors, with a fatigue of about 10 to the 11th power switching cycles and leakage currents lesser than that of other capacitors, have a RuO2/PZT/hybrid electrode/MgO heterostructure.

PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT), La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSC) and MgO reveal ablated flux characteristics which depend on oxygen or noble gas pressure, laser energy and the ablation time. The deposition rates of PZT and LSC which influence ablated flux characteristics are represented as a function of oxygen pressure and laser energy.

The synthesis and characteristics of Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (PZT) thin films grown by automated laser ablation deposition were described. Synthesis was carried out using either sequential deposition or simultaneous deposition of all species. The structure of the As-deposited film consisted of highly oriented (001) PbO layers which served as the basis for (110) PZT thin films. Laser ablation of bulk PZT targets produced amorphous as-deposited films. The remnant polarization of the PZT samples was likened to that of films grown by laser ablation of bulk PZT targets.

The measured and calculated time-dependent electrical resistances of closed gold Ohmic switches in radio frequency microelectromechanical system (rf-MEMS) devices are described by a power law, which is derived from a single asperity creep model. Guidance is provided toward the rational design of Ohmic contacts with increased reliabilities by better defining variables that are controlled through material selection, interface processing and switch operation.

A combination of vertical and lateral piezoresponse force microscopy (VPFM and LPFM, respectively) was used to map the out-of-plane and in-plane polarization distribution. It was found that poled capacitors that appear as uniformly polarized in VPFM are in a polydomain state as is detected by LPFM and contain 90 degrees domains walls.

The nanoscale observation of photoinduced domain pinning and investigation of imprint behavior in ferroelectric thin films is detailed. The domain pinning is due to the existing boundaries in the bulk of the film contribute to the suppression of switchable polarization and a thin high-dielectric interfacial layer improves the imprint behavior of ferroelectric capacitors.