Effect of acceptor-substitute site on the ferroelectric properties of BaTiO₃ ceramics for multi-state memory

In the present study, acceptor-doped Ba_0.99K_0.01TiO₃ and BaTi_0.99Fe_0.01O₃ ceramic samples were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. Antiferroelectric-like double hysteresis loops with four distinct memory states were realized in both A-site K-doped and B-site Fe-doped BaTiO₃ samples, providing a possibility to achieve multi-state memories. The practice feasibility of the memory effect was verified by write/read operations. The experimental results showed that the A-site K-doped sample demonstrated a pronounced memory effect, while the B-site Fe-doped sample showcased an enhanced fatigue resistance. Moreover, the differences in the shapes of hysteresis loops and related parameters of memory effect between K-doped and Fe-doped samples were systematically investigated from the view of acceptor-substitute site. All the results indicated that acceptor-doped BaTiO₃ ceramics were greatly promising for multi-state memory.