Analytical transmission electron microscopy of hydrogen-induced degradation in ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 on a Pt electrode

Changes in the crystal structure of Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3 (PZT) on a Pt electrode caused by annealing in hydrogen-containing ambient have been studied using analytical transmission electron microscopy. A decrease in Pb composition and distortion in Ti-O coordination occur at the PZT/Pt interface. These findings indicate that preferential reduction of Pb and sequential diffusion of Pb from the PZT to the Pt electrode play an important role in the changes of the PZT crystal. Thus, changes in crystal structure due to annealing in a hydrogen-containing ambient can be avoided by using electrode materials that prevent Pb diffusion. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)02340-7].