THE BULK PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT IN FERROELECTRIC PB(ZR,TI)O-3 THIN-FILMS

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPE) has been investigated in lead zirco nate titanate (PZT) thin films. Measurements of the kinetics, spectral distribution and photocurrent hysteresis loops have been made. In the extrinsic spectral region, the steady-state photocurrent is primarily due to the BPE, where the photovoltaic tensor component has been dete rmined to be G(31) congruent to 10(-9) cm/V. However, in the intrinsic region, the BPE has not been determined due to the strong contributio n from photoinjection currents. Finally, it is shown that the BPE may be the driving force for photoinduced hysteresis changes in PZT thin f ilms, particularly in the extrinsic spectral region.