LAUSR

Abstract This paper presents in detail the ferroelectric properties of Ho-doped 0.64Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.36PbTiO3 ceramic including determination of intrinsic polarization and investigation of resistive leakage. The effect of Ho3+ doping on the structure, dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of PMN-PT ceramics was studied. Perovskite phase of pure and Ho-doped 0.64Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.36PbTiO3 ceramics were synthesized using solid state reaction method. Powder XRD confirmed the incorporation of Ho3+ ions in PMN-PT lattice. EDX spectra confirmed the existence of Ho and its homogeneity in doped-sample. The average grain size, transition temperature and dielectric loss factor (tan δ) decreased while the density and the dielectric constant of the PMN-PT ceramic increased by Ho doping. Furthermore, an increase in the ferroelectric properties and the piezoelectric coefficient (d33∗, from 547 to 610 pm/V) were observed for doped sample. The ‘Remanent Hysteresis Task’ revealed that a major portion (80.42%) of the remanent polarization (Pr) is switchable in the sample which makes Ho-doped PMN-PT a potential material for memory switching devices. Time-dependent compensated (TDC) hysteresis task and fatigue test were carried out which revealed resistive leakage and fatigue free nature of Ho-doped PMN-PT ceramic. These results demonstrate that Ho-doped PMN-PT ceramic possesses excellent properties to achieve a variety of applications.