In self-polarized lead zirconate titanate thin films formed on platinized silicon substrates, a significant increase in the internal electric field was observed as a result of long-term aging. To explain this phenomenon, a mechanism is proposed for the formation of the internal field associated with the diffusion of charged oxygen vacancies, which, in turn, is due to the action of a mechanical stress gradient. The diffusion coefficient of charged oxygen vacancies was estimated to be ~ 3·10-16 cm2/s. Keywords: thin films, lead zirconate titanate, internal field, Gorsky effect.

The microstructure and pyroelectric properties of AlxGa1-xN composite epitaxial layers grown on SiC/Si(111) and SiC/Si(110) hybrid substrates by the chloride-hydride epitaxy have been studied. The phenomenon of spontaneous formation of a system of heterojunctions consisting of periodic AlxGa1-xN layers of different composition located perpendicular to the direction of growth, was discovered during the growth of layers. Measurements of the pyroelectric coefficients of these heterostructures have shown that regardless of the orientation of the initial Si substrate and their pyroelectric coefficients have close values of the order of γ~(0.7-1)·10-10 C/cm2K. It is shown that to increase the magnitude of the pyroresponse it is necessary to deposit an AlN layer with a thickness exceeding 1 μm on the AlxGa1-xN/SiC/Si surface. This leads to record values of the pyroelectric coefficient γ~18·10-10 C/cm2K for AlN crystals and films. Keywords: silicon carbide-on-silicon substrates, chloride-hydride epitaxy, AlGaN epitaxial layers, aluminum nitride, gallium nitride, pyroelectric properties.

An experimental study of the crystal structure and ferroelectric properties of <110>-textured lead zirconate titanate films with a fine variation in their composition (with a change in the elemental ratio of zirconium and titanium atoms within 1.5%) near the morphotropic phase boundary revealed jump-like changes in the pseudocubic lattice parameter, dielectric permittivity and residual polarization. It is assumed that the observed anomalies correspond to a morphotropic transition from a rhombohedral to a mixture of tetragonal and monoclinic phases. Keywords: fine composition variation, phase state, piezoresponse force microscopy, abnormal dielectric and piezoelectric properties.