We present an experimental approach to study the ultrafast polarization switching dynamics in thin-film ferroelectrics. A semiconductor photoconductive switch with femtosecond laser illumination is used as a “pulse generator” to produce jitter-free, sub-100 ps rise time step-function-like electrical pulses. Quantitative measurements yield a polarization switching time, of ∼220 ps when measured with a 5 V, 68 ps rise time input electrical pulse. Modeling of the switching transients using the Merz–Ishibashi model and Merz–Shur model of switching kinetics yields a quantitative estimate of the characteristic switching time constant, of ∼70–90 ps.
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