RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BULK AND THIN-FILM PLZT MATERIALS AND DEVICES

Current trends in the electronics and optoelectronics industries involving computing, data processing, sensing and communications all point toward a continuing need for improved materials and new multifunctional structures. The continuing and unrelenting drive toward higher bit density and greater integration has led many of the new technologies away from bulk materials and to their thin film counterparts. Recent research on thin and thin/thick PLZT for ferroelectric and electrooptic applications has also participated in this trend toward thinner structures. Their desirable ferroelectric switching properties have been explored for random access memory applications, whereas, their electrooptic properties have been evaluated for transverse-mode light shutters and modulators. Shutter contrast ratios as high as 500:1 have been obtained.