ABSTRACT
Piezoelectric materials have been used extensively in actuator and ultrasonic receiver applications, while ferroelectric materials (in thin film form) have recently received much attention for their potential use in nonvolatile (NV) memory applications. We will discuss the basic concepts in the use of these materials, highlight their applications, and describe the constraints limiting their uses. This chapter emphasizes properties that need to be understood for the effective use of these materials but are often very difficult to research. Among the properties that are discussed are hysteresis and domains.
