Large enhancement of the piezoelectric response in perovskite crystals by electric bias field antiparallel to polarization

Using Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory and tetragonal BaTiO3 as an example, this letter demonstrates that strong electric bias fields applied antiparallel to spontaneous polarization may lead to a large enhancement of piezoelectric properties in monodomain perovskite crystals with multiple phase transitions. At temperatures close to tetragonal-orthorhombic phase transition, the largest enhancement is approximately along the [111] axis. The enhancement is due to the field induced dielectric softening of the crystal. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.