Structural Insights of Electrical Aging in PZT Thin Films as Revealed by In Situ Biasing X-ray Diffraction

Electrical aging in lead zirconate titanate (PbZr_xTi_1-xO₃) thin films has been intensively studied from a macroscopic perspective. However, structural origins and consequences of such degradation are less documented. In this study, we have used synchrotron radiation to evaluate the behavior of ferroelectric domains by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sample was loaded with an AC triangular bias waveform between ±10 V with a number of cycle varying from one up to 10⁸. At each step of the aging procedure, XRD spectra had been collected in situ during the application of an electric field on a capacitor. The fine analysis of the (200) pseudo-cubic peak structure allows to separate the evolution of the volume of a/c tetragonal and rhombohedral domains along the electrical biasing. Throughout the aging, both intrinsic and extrinsic responses of tetra and rhombohedral domains are altered, the behavior depending on the observed phase. This methodology opens up new perspectives in the comprehension of the aging effect in ferroelectric thin film.