LAUSR

Abstract In this study, the underlying physical mechanisms of imprint are addressed in order to obtain a better understanding of the imprint phenomenon of relaxor Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-x%PbTiO3 (PZN-x%PT) ferroelectric single crystals. The local domain structure and imprint of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-4.5%PbTiO3 (PZN-4.5%PT) single crystals are investigated by using Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) and Switching Spectroscopy PFM (SS-PFM) techniques, respectively. The results show that the imprint depends on polarization states. It is also found that surface charge accumulation shows no significant effects on the imprint behaviour of the PZN-4.5%PT single crystals. By studying the annealed samples in the oxygen and argon atmospheres respectively, it is found that the alignment of oxygen vacancy related defect dipoles is one of the origins for the occurrence of imprint. This study provides a better understanding of the imprint phenomenon in ferroelectric materials, which is crucial for the enhancement of the reliability and the advancement of ferroelectric relaxors into the application of ferroelectric devices.