Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The pyroelectric and photogalvanic effects have been studied extensively in epitaxial Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films. For the first time, photo-induced currents, which were completely reversible by electrical voltage, were observed in ferroelectric thin films. The photo-induced currents exhibited transient and steady state components. The transient component, in turn, consisted of two components with fast (<1 µs) and slow (∼hours) relaxation times. The mechanisms of the photo-induced currents in PZT films and their possible application in non-destructive readout ferroelectric memory are discussed.