Ferroelectric characterization

Pyrocurrent measurements

The defining property of a ferroelectric material is its switchable spontaneous polarization. We utilize the temperature dependence of the spontaneous polarization to determine its absolute value by pyroelectric current measurements.

The spontaneous polarization decreases for increasing temperatures until it vanishes at the Curie temperature TC. The change of the spontaneous polarization can be measured during a temperature change as a current flowing between the two polar faces of the ferroelectric material. In a paraelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition the onset of this pyroelectric current yields the Curie temperature whereas the integrated current allows for the calculation of the absolute value of the spontaneous polarization change.