Time-dependent electron emission from ferroelectrics by external pulsed electric fields

Abstract

Results of experiments investigating the influence of the amplitude, the growth rate, and the repetition rate of the exciting electric field pulses on the electron current and charge density emitted from ferroelectrics are reported. The behavior of two types of lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanate (PLZT) ceramics, 2/95/5 and 8/65/35, was studied. The temporal shift between the applied HV pulses and the emitted electron current pulses was different for the two materials. Regular electron emission was observed at repetition rates of up to 2 MHz in the PLZT-2/95/5 material, showing that the recovery of the emitting sample back to the original state may happen in less than a microsecond.