Investigation of the switching characteristics in ferroelectrics by first-order reversal curve diagrams

First-order reversal curves (FORC) diagrams are proposed for describing the switching properties in ferroelectric materials. The method is applied for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) ferroelectric ceramics and films with different P(E)P(E) hysteresis and microstructural characteristics. The separation of the reversible and irreversible contributions to the ferroelectric polarization is explained in terms of microstructural characteristics of the investigated samples. The influence of parameters as field frequency, crystallite orientation, ferroelectric fatigue and porosity degree on the FORC diagrams is discussed.