Photovoltaic effect of Sn_2P_2S_6 ferroelectric crystal and ceramics

To investigate the photovoltaic effect in Sn 2 P 2 S 6 ferroelectrics, Sn 2 P 2 S 6 crystal and ceramic sample that had a high relative density of 95% and a grain size of below 1 mm were fabricated. The steady-state photovoltaic currents under infrared light illumination on both Sn 2 P 2 S 6 crystal and ceramic sample were observed for the first time. The photovoltaic currents ipv on Sn2P2S6 ceramic sample and crystal were 5 and 25 nA/cm, respectively. The difference in the magnitude of the photovoltaic current resulted from the difference in the remanent polarization Pr between the crystal and the ceramic sample. The values of the photovoltaic field Epv determined from I‐Vcurve for Sn2P2S6 ceramic sample and crystal were 0.2 and 6 V/cm, respectively; these values were several orders lower than that observed on the perovskite-type ferroelectric ceramics. The photovoltaic fields observed in this study were discussed with the conductivity of the crystal and the ceramic sample, in consideration of the figure of merit for the photostriction.

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