Phase transitions in barium–strontium titanate films on MgO substrates with various orientations

A comparative study of the lattice dynamic upon phase transitions in a polycrystalline Ba_0.8Sr_0.2TiO₃ (BST) film on a Pt substrate and in epitaxial BST films grown on various sections of an MgO substrate has been performed by Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that different sequences of phase transitions take place in these films. The BST/Pt films demonstrate the same sequence of phase transitions that is observed in the bulk ceramics. The hardening of a soft mode in BST/(001)MgO and BST/Pt films shows that the transition from the tetragonal ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase has features of the displacement-type phase transition and also the order–disorder phase transition. When approaching the ferroelectric transition temperature, the soft mode in the BST/(111)MgO film is softened, following the Cockran law, which indicates the displacement-type phase transition.     

Raman scattering spectra of ceramics, films, and superlattices of ferroelectric perovskites: A review

Raman investigations of the crystal lattice dynamics in classical ferroelectric perovskites SrTiO₃, PbTiO₃, and BaTiO₃ have been analyzed. The specific features revealed in the behavior of soft modes during the phase transitions occurring in ceramics and powders of these compounds, as well as in several related solid solutions, have been described. Particular attention has been paid to the investigations of ferroelectric thin films and superlattices in which the sequences of structural distortions can be radically different from those known for the initial bulk materials.     

Structural phase transitions in nanosized ferroelectric barium strontium titanate films

The lattice parameters of epitaxial barium strontium titanate films with various thicknesses (from 6 to 960 nm) were measured as a function of temperature in the normal and tangential directions with respect to the film plane using x-ray diffraction. The films were grown through the layer-by-layer mechanism by rf cathode sputtering under elevated oxygen pressure. A critical film thickness (～ 50 nm) was found to exist, below and above which the films are subjected to compressive and tensile stresses, respectively. As the temperature varies from 780 to 100 K, the films undergo two diffuse structural phase transitions of the second order over the entire thickness range. The transitions in the films under tensile stresses are likely to be transformations from the paraelectric tetragonal to aa phase and then to r phase, whereas the transitions under compressive stresses are transformations from the tetragonal paraelectric to ferroelectric c phase and then, with further decreasing temperature, to r phase.     

Structural studies of the P-T phase diagram of sodium niobate

The crystal structure of sodium niobate (NaNbO₃) has been investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction at high pressures (up to 4.3 GPa) in the temperature range 300–1050 K. At normal conditions, NaNbO₃ has an orthorhombic structure with Pbcm symmetry (antiferroelectric P phase). Upon heating, sodium niobate undergoes a series of consecutive transitions between structural modulated phases P-R-S-T(1)-T(2)-U; these transitions manifest themselves as anomalies in the temperature dependences of the positions and widths of diffraction peaks. Application of high pressure leads to a decrease in the temperatures of the structural transitions to the R, S, T(1), T(2), and U phases with different baric coefficients. A phase diagram for sodium niobate has been build in the pressure range 0–4.3 GPa and the temperature range 300–1050 K. The dependences of the unit-cell parameters and volume on pressure and temperature have been obtained. The bulk modulus and the volume coefficients of thermal expansion have been calculated for different structural modulated phases of sodium niobate. A phase transition (presumably, from the antiferroelectric orthorhombic P phase to the ferroelectric rhombohedral N phase) has been observed at high pressure (P = 1.6 GPa) and room temperature.     

The electric and magnetic properties of epitaxially grown A0.5-xLaxSr0.5MnO3 （A=Pr, Nd） thin film

The epitaxial （single crystal-like） Pr0.4La0.1Sr0.5MnO3 （PLSMO） and Nd0.35La0.15Sr0.5MnO3 （NLSMO） thin films are prepared and characterized, and the electric and magnetic properties are examined. We find that both PLSMO and NLSMO have their own optimum deposition temperature （To） in their growing into epitaxial thin films. When the deposition temperature is higher than To, a c-axis oriented but polycrystalline thin film grows; when the deposition temperature is lower than To, the thin film tends to be a-axis oriented and also polycrystalline. The most important point is that for the epitaxial PLSMO and NLSMO thin films the electronic phase transitions are closely consistent with the magnetic phase transitions, i.e. an antiferromagnetic phase corresponds to an insulating state, a ferromagnetic phase corresponds to a metallic state and a paramagnetic phase corresponds to a semiconducting state, while for the polycrystalline thin films the electronic phase transitions are always not consistent with the magnetic transitions.     

Raman Scattering on the Effective Soft Mode for Lithium Niobate Crystals

The evolution of Raman spectra in a wide range of temperatures that includes the ferroelectric transition point in lithium niobate single crystals is studied for polarization geometry X(ZZ)Y. In this geometry, the soft mode responsible for the phase transition distinguished by 1A₁(TO)-type symmetry should appear in the spectra. Experimental studies show that the 1A₁(TO) mode interacts resonantly with nonfundamental modes in the low-frequency region of the spectrum. Near the ferroelectric phase transition point, an isofrequency opalescence effect is observed that consists of an abrupt increase in Raman signal intensity at fixed frequencies near the excitation line.     

Photoassisted chemical solution deposition method for fabricating uniformly epitaxial VO2 films

Epitaxial VO₂ films were prepared on the TiO₂ (001) substrates by the excimer-laser-assisted metal–organic deposition (ELAMOD). The quality of the epitaxial films obtained by irradiation with a KrF laser was found to be affected by the film structure obtained after preheating at 500 or 300°C. When the films containing crystal domains, which were obtained by preheating at 500°C, were irradiated with the laser at room temperature under a base pressure of 250 Pa, epitaxial and polycrystalline VO₂ phases were simultaneously formed. In contrast, when the amorphous films containing organic components, which were obtained by preheating at 300°C, were irradiated with the laser at room temperature in air, a single phase of epitaxial VO₂ was formed. By using thermal simulations, we determined that the formation of the epitaxial phase was affected both by the temperature distribution within the film during the laser irradiation and by the laser intensity at the interface between the substrate and the film. The latter factor is considered to play a role in the nucleation of crystallization, causing the epitaxial phase to form preferentially compared to the polycrystalline phase in the amorphous matrix of the films. These results indicate that the ELAMOD process is effective for the fabrication of epitaxial VO₂ films at low temperature.     

压应力场下PLZT铁电陶瓷的原位Raman观测

铁电陶瓷材料在外场加载下的畴变所引起的材料结构变化,是导致材料性能衰变和破坏的主要原因,Raman光谱技术是一种研究铁电材料畴变和微结构变化的无损伤性及原位微区的观测方法。采用传统固相法合成Zr/Ti原子比为53/478的掺镧锆钛酸铅(PLZT)铁电陶瓷材料 ,采用X射线衍射仪和扫描电子显微镜及Precision_LC铁电测试系统分别对试样进行结构形貌表征和铁电物理性能测试,利用自制的应力加载装置与Raman光谱仪联用,实现不同压应力场作用下试样的原位Raman谱测试,考察和分析Raman谱软模E(2TO)和E(3TO+2LO)+B1的峰强和峰位随散射偏振方向的变化规律。结果表明,不同压应力场下Raman软模E(2TO)和E(3TO+2LO)+B1的峰强均随散射偏振角度呈现正弦式的变化规律,在60°偏振角度上软模峰强最大,在150°偏振角度上软模峰强最小。随着压应力场的增加,在0°和60°偏振角度获得的软模峰强随应力场的增加呈现明显的下降趋势,而在90°和150°偏振角度获得的软模峰强基本不变。压应力场变化对PLZT陶瓷的Raman软模E(2TO)和E(3TO+2LO)+B1的峰位均不产生影响。     

Probing the ferroelectric phase transition in sol–gel‐derived polycrystalline bismuth ferrite thin films

Polycrystalline BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films were successfully grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) and SrTiO₃ (STO) (100) substrates using the chemical solution deposition (CSD) technique. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicate the polycrystalline nature of the films with rhombohedrally distorted perovskite crystal structure. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was performed on the sol–gel‐derived powder to countercheck the crystal structure, ferroelectric (FE) to paraelectric (PE) phase transition, and melting point of bismuth ferrite. We observed a significant exothermic peak at 840 °C in DTA graphs, which corresponds to an FE–PE phase transition. Raman spectroscopy studies were carried out on BFO thin films prepared on both the substrates over a wide range of temperature. The room‐temperature unpolarized Raman spectra of BFO thin films indicate the presence of 13 Raman active modes, of which five strong modes were in the low‐wavenumber region and eight weak Raman active modes above 250 cm⁻¹. We observed slight shifts in the lower wavenumbers towards lower values with increase in temperature. The temperature‐dependent Raman spectra indicate a complete disappearance of all Raman active modes at 840 °C corresponding to the FE–PE phase transitions. There is no evidence of soft mode phonons. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies of superlattices BaTiO3/(Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3/SrTiO3

The structural characteristics of the BaTiO₃/(Ba_0.5,Sr_0.5)TiO₃/SrTiO₃ superlattice on a (001) MgO substrate have been studied using X-ray diffraction. The modulation period and unit cell parameters of layers forming the superlattice have been measured. The sizes of coherent scattering regions and average microstrains in the direction perpendicular to the surface have been estimated. The obtained characteristics are compared to those of the two-layer BaTiO₃/(Ba_0.5,Sr_0.5)TiO₃ superlattice. The Raman spectra demonstrate a substantial shift of the soft E(TO) mode in the three-layer superlattice as compared to the position in the two-layer superlattice. The effects observed are associated with a substantial increase in the temperature of the phase transition of the three-layer superlattice to the paraelectric phase.     

Effective dielectric and piezoelectric constants of thin polycrystalline ferroelectric films

The averaged dielectric, piezoelectric, and elastic constants of thin polycrystalline barium titanate and lead titanate films are calculated within a modified effective-medium approximation, which takes fully into account piezoelectric interactions between crystallites. Films with c-or a-type crystal texture resulting from mechanical interaction with the substrate are considered when the film becomes ferroelectric under cooling of the heterostructure. The dependences of the effective material constants of textured films on the residual macroscopic polarization of a film are described. An analysis is made of the effect of two-dimensional clamping of a film on a thick substrate on measurements of dielectric and piezoelectric constants. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2206–2212 (December 1998)     

Ferromagnetic resonance in epitaxial films of uniaxial barium hexaferrites

The magnetic parameters of epitaxial barium hexaferrite films are studied. The hysteresis of the field and frequency dependences of ferromagnetic resonance in the films is investigated in the ranges of the multidomain-monodomain and monodomain-multidomain transitions. The effect of the substrate thickness on film-microwave field interaction is examined.     

0.67 PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.33 PbTiO3单晶中软模模式指认

应用显微拉曼技术对弛豫型铁电体0.67PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.33PbTiO3(0.67PMN-0.33PT)的偏振拉曼光谱随温度变化的研究表明,在-196到600°C温度范围内0.67PMN-0.33PT存在两次相变:三方到四方(R-T)相变和四方到立方(T-C)相变。R-T相变的特征是106cm-1软模(-196°C时)随温度的升高而湮没到80cm-1"静态"模式中。依照群论分析,0.67PMN-0.33PT的80cm-1和106cm-1(-196℃时)两个模式分别为E(1TO)和A1(1TO)模。文章对三方相的对称结构(C3v点群)在背向散射配置下不同偏振方向的拉曼散射效率进行了计算。计算结果表明晶体中的A1(1TO)和E(1TO)模式能够通过使用不同的散射配置进行识别。理论计算和实验结果相比较得到了很好的吻合。     

Soft modes and phonon interactions in studied by neutron scattering

The low frequency lattice dynamics and its relationship to the second order paraelectric-to-ferroelectric transition in Sn₂P₂S₆ is studied. The dispersion branches of the acoustic and lowest lying optical phonons in the a^*-c^* plane have been obtained in the ferroelectric phase, for x-polarized phonons. Close to the phase transition a considerable softening is found for the lowest optical mode (P_x), comparable to the behaviour observed in previous Raman investigations. As found previously in Sn₂P₂Se₆, a strong coupling between the TO(P_x) and TA(u_xz) phonons is observed, although, apparently, not strong enough to lead to an incommensurate phase. The soft TO(P_x) mode at the zone center is observed. The temperature dependence of its frequency and damping shows that the transition is not entirely displacive. At low temperatures an unusual apparent negative LO-TO splitting is observed which is shown to arise from the coupling of the x-polarized soft mode to the nearby z-polarized optical phonon. For comparison, the soft TO(P_x) dispersion in the a^*-b^* plane is measured in both the paraelectric and ferroelectric phases. Consistent frequency changes and LO-TO splitting are observed, revealing a significant interaction between the TA(u_yx) and LA(u_xx) acoustics branches and the TO and LO soft optic branches, respectively. In contrast, the nearby y-polarized optic branch shows almost no temperature dependence. Finally, the influence of piezoelectric effects on the limiting acoustic slopes in the ferroelectric phase is discussed. Received: 11 May 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 15 June 1998     

不同晶向SrTiO3上外延GaAs薄膜的光谱研究

利用MBE生长技术,成功地在不同晶向SrTiO3(100)(111)(110)衬底上生长了GaAs薄膜,利用显微Raman和荧光光谱（PL）对此进行了研究。实验结果表明,在不同晶向SrTiO3上生长的GaAs薄膜有不同的晶向和应力状态。荧光光谱（PL）研究表明在SrTiO3(100)(111)晶面上生长的GaAs薄膜的PL峰发生明显的蓝移。研究表明在SrTiO3(110)面上生长的GaAs薄膜和体单晶基本上一致,有更好的光学质量。     

A first-principles study of phase transitions in ultrathin films of BaTiO3

We determine the effects of film thickness, epitaxial strain and the nature of electrodes on ferroelectric phase transitions in ultrathin films of BaTiO₃ using a first-principles effective Hamiltonian in classical molecular dynamics simulations. We present results for polarization and dielectric properties as a function of temperature and epitaxial strain, leading to size-dependent temperature-strain phase diagram for the films sandwiched between ‘perfect’ electrodes. In the presence of non-vanishing depolarization fields when non-ideal electrodes are used, we show that a stable stripe-domain phase is obtained at low temperatures. The electrostatic images in the presence of electrodes and their interaction with local dipoles in the film explain these observed phenomena.      

Geometrical effects in nanodimensional epitaxial films of barium strontium titanate

The effect of the thickness of 6- to 950-nm-thick Ba_0.8Sr_0.2TiO₃ films epitaxially grown on (001)MgO on their ferroelectric properties is investigated. Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction data indicate a structural phase transition taking place at a film thickness of ≈70 nm, which changes drastically the lattice parameters of the film. Raman spectra taken of the films confirm that they are in the ferroelectric state and that their symmetry changes in going over a critical thickness, as revealed by a sharp displacement of the peaks corresponding to the A ₁(TO) and E(TO) components of the soft mode. At film thicknesses of <100 nm, the permittivity versus thickness dependence exhibits two peaks at thicknesses of ～18 and ～36 nm. Near the first peak, the dielectric nonlinearity is considerably higher than near the second one.     

Phase transitions in polarized heterophase systems based on lead zirconate titanate

Temperature dependences of the depolarization currents have been studied and phase transformations between the R3c, R3m, P4mm, and Pm3m phases have been determined in samples of the five-component heterophase ferroelectric ceramics based on lead zirconate titanate.     

Dielectric Properties of Nanoporous Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Films Filled with Ferroelectric SC(NH<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Temperature dependences of permittivity ε′ and third harmonic amplitude γ_3ω of nanocomposites obtained by embedding ferroelectric SC(NH₂)₂ in porous alumina films with pore sizes of 60 and 100 nm are studied. A substantial increase in the temperatures of ferroelectric phase transition T_c1 and T_c2 and that of phase transition T_i from incommensurate phase to paraphase are also observed. The temperatures of all phase transitions are found to rise as pore diameters shrink.     

Effect of crystallinity on proton conductivity in yttrium-doped barium zirconate thin films

The effect of crystallinity on proton conductivity in amorphous, single crystal and polycrystal yttrium-doped barium zirconate (BYZ) thin films grown 120 nm in thickness on amorphous (quartz) and single crystal MgO(100) substrates has been studied. The conductivity was measured in the temperature range of 150 ~ 350 °C. By altering the film deposition temperature, varying degrees of crystallization and microstructure were observed by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The epitaxial BYZ film grown on MgO(100) substrate at 900 °C showed the highest proton conductivity among other samples with an activation energy of 0.45 eV, whereas polycrystalline and amorphous BYZ films showed lower conductivities due to grain boundaries in their granular microstructure.