Electrically induced light scattering performances of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate transparent ceramics

A series of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) ceramics of Zr/Ti (70/30) with different La concentration (La = 7.6, 7.8, 8.0 mole %) were prepared by a hot pressing process. The performances of electrically induced light scattering for PLZT (X/70/30) ceramics were investigated and analyzed systematically. All samples are crystallized into a single perovskite phase. The PLZT (7.6/70/30) sample exhibits a ferroelectric behavior while both PLZT (7.8/70/30) and PLZT (8.0/70/30) samples show an antiferroelectric behavior. The phase transition temperature ( T c ) of the PLZT (X/70/30) ceramics shifts slightly from ~86 °C to ~89 °C with the increasing of La concentration at 1 kHz. All three ceramic samples exhibit a high transmittance, i.e., greater than 60 %, with a thickness of 0.4 mm over a wide range of wavelength band, from visible to near IR. The PLZT (X/70/30) ceramics exhibit three different types of light scattering behavior depending on the La concentration (examined at λ = 632.8 nm). Among them, PLZT (8.0/70/30) presents a unique applicable auto-switchable property with a low threshold value of electric field and high transmittance. Noticeably, the contrast ratio increases correspondingly with the thickness of the sample, and the contrast ratio aroused by the transverse electric field is about twice as big as that aroused by the longitudinal one. The light scattering properties of the PLZT (8.0/70/30) ceramic may represent a creative application in optical modulators.