High-current-density electron emission from lead zirconium titanate ferroelectric disc under application of short-duration high-voltage pulses

• Published in: IEEE transactions on plasma science Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 256 - 261
• Main Authors: Moorti, A., Naik, P.A., Gupta, P.D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.02.2004; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Atomic, molecular and charged-particle sources and detectors; Ceramics; Charged-particle beam sources and detectors; Charged-particle beam sources anddetectors; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Current density; Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties; Electron emission; Electron sources; Exact sciences and technology; Experimental methods and instrumentation for elementary-particle and nuclear physics; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Laser excitation; Nuclear physics; Particle sources and targets; Physics; Plasma materials processing; Polarization; Surface emitting lasers; Switching phenomena; Titanium compounds; Zirconium; Polarization; Pulsed electron; Ultrashort pulse; Lead Zirconium Titanates; Ferroelectric materials; Poled material; Electron emission; PZT; Experimental study; Electron sources; Quaternary compounds; Current density
• ISSN: 0093-3813; 1939-9375
• DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2004.826021

High-current-density pulsed-electron emission is observed from a poled lead zirconium titanate (PZT, Zr/Ti:53/47) ferroelectric ceramic disc on application of short-duration (/spl sim/6 ns) negative high-voltage (/spl sim/4 kV) pulses. Electron-emission pulses with a peak current density /spl sim/400--450 A/cm/sup 2/ and a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) duration of /spl sim/200--250 ns were recorded in the presence of a dc extraction field. These are comparable to the various earlier results obtained using excitation pulses of duration comparable to the polarization switching time (/spl ges/100 ns). Self-emission of electrons with a current density of /spl sim/20--30 A/cm/sup 2/ was also observed. The experimental observations indicate occurrence of partial polarization reversal in the ferroelectric sample followed by plasma formation on the surface.