The electron emission property of a novel antiferroelectric cathode material lanthanum-doped lead zirconate stannate titanate (PLZST) on the application of positive or negative triggering voltage pulses has been investigated. All experiments were performed in a vacuum of 10^(-5) Torr and at room tempera-ture. It was discovered that there were two electron emission pulses when low positive triggering voltage was applied to the rear electrode, and three electron emission pulses when high positive trig-gering voltage was applied. However there were always two electron emission pulses when negative triggering pulses were applied. This phenomenon is proposed to be a result of both field electron emission at triple junctions and electron emission caused by polarization reversal. The experimental observations indicate that domain movement in the vicinity close to the triple junction under applica-tion of the triggering voltage pulse may be a primary origin of electron emission from PLZST.
Two chemical compositions PbLa(Zr,Sn, Ti)O3 (PLZST) ceramics near the ferroelectric-anti- ferroelectric (FE/AFE) phase boundary were pre- pared by a traditional solid-state reaction process. The electrostriction properties under the electric field and the influence of hydrostatic pressure on the phase transition and the dielectric properties of these PLZST ceramics have been studied. Under the AC electric field, the strain of these two samples reached 0.21% and 0.13%, respectively. With increasing pressure, the FE/AFE phase transition temperature of the antiferroelectrics decreased and the antiferro- electric-paraelectric (AFE/PE) phase transition tem- perature increased, while the ferroelectric-paraelec- tric (FE/PE) phase transition temperature of the ferroelectrics decreased.
