Abstract
The pulse switching kinetics of ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been investigated. The switching time was proven to be proportional to the electrode area of the thin-film capacitor under our measurement conditions. Polarization switching was also characterized by the exponential functions of reciprocal voltage. On the basis of the experimental results, the relationships among the apparent switching phenomena, the nucleation process of reversed domains and the time constant of the measurement system are discussed. Moreover, the switching time determined by the low nucleation rate is formulated.