EFFECTS OF NITROGEN DOPING ON PHOTOVOLTAIC PROPERTY OF LEAD LANTHANUM ZIRCONATE TITANATE FERROELECTRIC CERAMICS

For decades, the phenomenon effects of ferroelectric ceramics have been known and called the photostrictive effect. The photostrictive effect is the superposition of photovoltaic and piezoelectric effects and this study concentrated on the method to improve the photovoltaic effect and optical absorption edge of lead lanthanum zirconatetitanate [(Pb0.97La0.03) (Zr0.52Ti0.48)(1-0.03/4)O-3 or PLZT, (3/52/48)] by nitrogen doping. The ceramics which were doped were prepared by replacing the content of the TiO2 precursor with TiN and mixed by ball milling in an ethanol medium. The bulk pellets of the doped PLZT ceramics exhibited a photocurrent (I-ph) and photovoltage (E-ph) higher than that of the undoped PLZT. These differences are due to the characteristics of the nitrogen ion substituted at the 0-site in the lattice of the PLZT unit cell. The UV/VIS spectroscopy data indicated that the range of the optical absorption edge of doped PLZT ceramics was wider than that of the undoped PLZT. This material has also the advantage of the improved conversion process of light energy to electrical energy.