High voltage generation with transversely shock compressed ferroelectrics: Thickness dependent law for breakdown field

Ability of ferroelectric materials to generate high voltage under shock compression is fundamental physical effect that makes possible to create miniature autonomous explosive-driven pulsed power systems. As the result of shock induced depolarization, an electric charge is released at the electrodes of the ferroelectric element and a high electric potential and a high electric field appears across the element. We performed systematic studies of electric breakdown field, E_b(d), as function of ferroelectric element thickness, d, for Pb(Zr_0.95Ti_0.05)O₃ (PZT 95/5) and Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT 52/48) ceramics compressed by transverse shock waves (shock front propagates across the polarization vector) and established a relationship between these two values: E_b(d) = const·d^-0.25. This law was found to be true in wide range of voltages from 4 to 150 kV and ferroelectric element thicknesses varied from 4.7 to 51 mm. This result makes it possible to predict the ferroelectric generator (FEG) output voltage and it forms the basis for design of ultrahigh voltage FEG systems.