Optical properties of ferroelectric (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract Ferroelectric Pb 0.95 La 0.05 Zr 0.53 Ti 0.47 O 3 (PLZT) thin films were prepared on quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at a deposition temperature of 750°C. The crystalline structure of the film was evaluated by X-ray diffraction. The dispersion of refractive indices and optical nonlinearities of the PLZT thin films were investigated by optical transmittance and Z-scan techniques, respectively. The film exhibited strong third-order nonlinear optical effect. A nonlinear refractive index as high as 1.3×10 −6 esu was displayed in the PLZT thin film. These results show that PLZT ferroelectric thin films have potential applications in nonlinear optics.