Thermal poling of alkaline earth boroaluminosilicate glasses with intrinsically high dielectric breakdown strength

• Published in: Journal of applied physics 2012-04, Vol.111 (8), p.083519-083519-9
• Main Authors: Smith, Nicholas J., Lanagan, Michael T., Pantano, Carlo G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Breakdown; Constraining; Deoxidizing; Dielectric breakdown; Glass; Nonlinearity; Rectification; Strength
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3703679

Per the rectification model of thermal poling, it has been proposed that intrinsic breakdown strength plays a strong limiting role in the internal DC fields supported by the glass from the poling process. One might therefore hypothesize proportionately larger second-order nonlinearity (SON) in glasses with intrinsically high dielectric breakdown strength. We test these ideas by thermal poling of two different commercial alkali-free alkaline-earth boroaluminosilicate display glasses-one with barium only (AF45 from Schott), and the other with a mixture of alkaline-earth ions (OA-10G from NEG). Not only are such compositions relevant from a commercial standpoint, they are also interesting in that they have been recently shown to exhibit remarkably high intrinsic dielectric breakdown strengths of 11-14 MV/cm. Quantitative Maker fringe and stack Maker-fringe measurements provide an accurate evaluation of the poling-induced SON susceptibilities, and indicate maximum χ (2) values of 0.44 and 0.26pm/V in these glasses. These values are comparable to those reported for silica and other multicomponent glasses. Thus, the hypothesis that higher χ (2) would be observed in high intrinsic breakdown strength glasses was not validated. Based on our application of the rectification model, internal fields of the order 2-4 MV/cm were calculated, which are well below the measured intrinsic breakdown strengths at room temperature. The most plausible explanation for these observations is nonlinear electronic conduction effects taking place within the depletion region at the poling temperature, limiting internal fields to a fraction of the breakdown field.