Dynamic hysteresis loop in a ferroelectric heterostructure

A Landau–Devonshire theory in combination with Landau–Khalatnikov dynamic equation has been firstly used to study the dynamic hysteresis loop of a ferroelectric heterostructure consisting of two different films. The surface transition layer within each component film and an antiferroelectric coupling at the interface between two films are considered. A parameter β is introduced to describe the differences of physical properties between two constituent films. The influence of parameterβ, surface transition layer, antiferroelectric coupling and electric field frequency on the dynamic hysteresis loop of the ferroelectric heterostructure is discussed in detail. The results show that the system can exhibit antiferroelectriclike behavior (i.e., multi-loop hysteresis) through tuning some critical factors.     

Study on the dynamic critical behavior of a ferroelectric heterostructure

A Landau–Devonshire theory added in Landau–Khalatnikov dynamic equation has been used firstly to explore the dynamic critical behavior of a ferroelectric heterostructure composed of two different ferroelectric films. Two identical surface transition layers within each film are assumed, and an antiferroelectric interfacial coupling between two materials is considered. One interfacial parameter β is introduced to describe the differences of physical characteristics between two constituent films, which can reflect more realistic dynamic mechanism. It is found that the ferroelectric heterostructure may exhibit multi-loop hysteresis loop and four peaks of dielectric susceptibility if the appropriate values of parameter β, antiferroelectric interfacial coupling and size of the system are selected. We obtain the critical behavior of the appearance in multi-loop hysteresis loops and four peaks of dielectric susceptibility by equilibrium action of parameter β and antiferroelectric interfacial coupling, which will provide theoretical guiding for designing the multi-state memory and miniaturized device in future.     

Combined effect of the transition layer and interfacial coupling on the properties of ferroelectric bilayer film

Within the framework of modified Ginzburg--Landau--Devonshire phenomenological theory, a ferroelectric bilayer film with a transition layer within each constituent film and an interfacial coupling between two materials has been studied. Properties including the Curie temperature and the spontaneous polarization of a bilayer film composed of two equally thick ferroelectric constituent films are discussed. The results show that the combined effect of the transition layer and the interfacial coupling plays an important role in explaining the interesting behaviour of ferroelectric multilayer structures consisting of two ferroelectric materials.     

铁电双层膜的反转动力学行为

基于Landau-Khalatnikov运动方程,本文研究了含有表面过渡层和铁电界面耦合的反转动力学行为(包括平均极化、反转时间、反转电流和矫顽场).研究结果表明:在铁电双层膜系统中存在一个竞争的机理,即表面过渡层与界面耦合的竞争作用.我们发现在双层膜反转过程中出现了反常行为,这些反常行为归因于表面过渡层与界面耦合之间的竞争.表面过渡层与界面耦合的共同行为对铁电双层膜的动力学特性起到了决定性的作用.     

The hysteresis loops of a ferroelectric bilayer film with surface transition layers

Based on the transverse Ising model in the framework of the mean field approximation,this paper discusses a ferroelectric bilayer film with the surface transition layers within each constituent slab and an antiferroelectric interfacial coupling between two slabs.The hysteresis loop of a bilayer film is investigated.The results show that the surface transition layer in a ferroelectric bilayer film plays a significant role in realizing the multiple-state memory.     

用X射线能谱同时测定薄膜成分及厚度

本文提出一个直接利用薄膜和衬底的X射线能谱来同时测定薄膜的成分和厚度的新方法,利用薄膜发出的各元素的标识X射线强度比确定其成分,利用NaCl衬底的Nak_α和Clk_α标识X射线的强度随膜厚增大而衰减的定量关系确定膜厚,本方法不需要纯元素的块状标样,对在NaCl衬底上沉积的Cu-Si合金薄膜的成分和厚度,在各种实验条件下进行了测定,得到了较为满意的结果。 关键词：     

Electric and magnetic properties of CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Pb(Zr<Subscript>0.52</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.48</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> bilayer thin films prepared by pulsed-laser deposition

CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) thin film with highly (111)-preferential orientation was first deposited on the silicon substrate by a pulsed-laser deposition, and then Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT) layers were deposited with different oxygen pressures to form the bilayer CFO/PZT nanocomposite thin films. X-ray diffraction showed that the PZT preferential orientation was strongly dependant on the oxygen pressure. The smooth film surface was obtained after depositing the CFO and PZT layers. The bilayer thin films exhibit good ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties, and a low leakage current density of 0.004 μA/cm² at 50 kV/cm. The leakage current density curves show loops for the electric polarized field when the electric field reverses. PACS 77.84.Lf; 75.80+q; 81.05.Zx; 81.15.Fg     

Film thickness dependence of electro-optic effect in epitaxial BaTiO3 thin films

Based on the phenomenological Landau-Devonshire theory, we investigate the film thickness dependence of ferroelectric and electro-optic properties of epitaxial BaTiO₃ thin films grown on SrTiO₃ and MgO substrates. By using the effective substrate lattice parameter concept, the film thickness dependence of misfit strain is incorporated into the theory. Therefore, the film thickness dependence of ferroelectric and electro-optic properties in epitaxial BaTiO₃ thin films can be explained. Moreover, a large quadratic electro-optic effect was obtained in the BaTiO₃ thin films, which is in good agreement with the experimental result of BaTiO₃ thin films on the MgO substrate.     

Orientation dependence of the electrocaloric effect of ferroelectric bilayer thin films

An analytical thermodynamic theory is applied to investigate the electrocaloric effect of ferroelectric BaTiO₃/SrTiO₃ bilayer thin films with different orientations at room temperature. Theoretical analysis indicates that the strong electrostatic coupling between the layers results in the suppression of ferroelectricity at a critical relative thickness which occurs approximately at 50%, 23%, and 12% of SrTiO₃ fraction in the (001), (110), and (111) bilayer thin films, respectively. The ferroelectric bilayer thin films are respected to have the largest electrocaloric effect at this critical relative thickness. Moreover, the electrocaloric effect strongly depends on the orientation and the (110) oriented bilayer thin films have the largest electrocaloric effect. Consequently, control of the orientation and the relative thickness of SrTiO₃ layer can be used to adjust the electrocaloric effect of ferroelectric bilayer thin films, which may provide the potential for practical application in refrigeration devices.     

Dielectric susceptibility of a ferroelectric bilayer film with surface transition layers

Using the transverse Ising model within the framework of the mean-field theory, we investigate a ferroelectric bilayer film with the surface transition layer within each constituent slab and an antiferroelectric interfacial coupling between two slabs. The combined influence of the surface transition layer and antiferroelectric interfacial coupling on the dielectric susceptibility of a bilayer film is discussed in detail. The results show that the surface transition layer plays a crucial role in dielectric susceptibility of a bilayer film.     

Depolarization field and properties of thin ferroelectric films with inclusion of the electrode effect

The influence of metallic electrodes on the properties of thin ferroelectric films is considered in the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau phenomenological theory. The contribution of the electrodes with different screening lengths l _s of carriers in the electrode material is included in the free-energy functional. The critical temperature T _cl , the critical thickness of the film, and the critical screening length of the electrode at which the ferroelectric phase transforms into the paraelectric phase are calculated. The Euler-Lagrange equation for the polarization P is solved by the direct variational method. The results demonstrate that the film properties can be calculated by minimizing the free energy, which has a standard form but involves the coefficient of the term P². This coefficient depends not only on the temperature but also on the film thickness, the surface and correlation effects, and the electrode characteristics. The calculations of the polarization, the dielectric susceptibility, the pyroelectric coefficient, and the depolarization field show that the ferroelectric state of the film can be destroyed using electrodes from a material whose screening length exceeds a critical value. This means that the electrodes being in operation can induce a transition from the ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase. The quantitative criteria obtained indicate that the phase state and properties of thin ferroelectric films can be controlled by choosing the appropriate electrode material.     

外场作用下铁电/铁磁双层膜的极化磁化性质

建立了铁电/铁磁双层膜模型,铁电层的电矩用连续标量描述,而铁磁层的自旋应用经典矢量描述.利用蒙特卡罗方法模拟了体系的热力学性质和极化、磁化行为.给出了零场下体系的内能、比热、极化和磁化随温度变化的关系,并分别研究了体系在外磁场和外电场下的极化和磁化行为.模拟结果表明,双层膜体系的内能、比热、极化和磁化性质因层间耦合系数的不同而明显不同,当界面耦合较弱时,双层膜表现出各自的热力学性质,当层间耦合增强到一定程度时,双层膜耦合为一个整体,表现出统一的热力学性质.该双层膜在外场中形成电滞回线和磁滞回线,并表现出偏置特性,界面耦合强度和温度影响滞后回线和偏置现象.     

Thickness dependent magnetic and ferroelectric properties of LaNiO3 buffered BiFeO3 thin films

BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films with thickness increasing from 40 to 480 nm were successfully grown on LaNiO₃ (LNO) buffered Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrate and the effects of thickness evolution on magnetic and ferroelectric properties are investigated. The LNO buffer layer promotes the growth and crystallization of BFO thin films. Highly (100) orientation is induced for all BFO films regardless of the film thickness together with the dense microstructure. All BFO films exhibited weak ferromagnetic response at room temperature and saturation magnetization is found to decrease with increase in film thickness. Well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops were obtained for thicker films; however, the leakage current dominated the ferroelectric properties in thinner films. The leakage current density decreased by three orders of magnitude for 335 nm film compared to 40 nm film, giving rise to enhanced ferroelectric properties for thicker films. The mechanisms for the evolution of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric characteristics are discussed.     

Diffusion processes in seeded and unseeded SBT thin films with varied stoichiometry

SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) is a bismuth layered perovskite (BLP) with interesting ferroelectric properties for memories applications. The previous study on the synthesis of seeded and unseeded SBT thin films by the authors [G. González Aguilar, M.E.V. Costa, I.M. Miranda Salvado, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 25 (2005) 2331] has shown an increase of the crystallinity of the films and an improvement of the thin film ferroelectric properties when using SBT seeds. However, the detailed role of the seeds as an improver of the thin film properties has not been investigated so far. In the present work we study the role of the seeds, particularly with respect to the reactions between film and (bottom) underlying platinum electrode. The comparison of the results obtained by characterizing the seeded and unseeded thin films via Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) techniques reveals an effective modification of the substrate-thin film interface by the presence of the seeds. Moreover, the evaluation of the thin film ferroelectric properties by atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows an improvement of the local piezoelectric hysteresis loops by the seeds. These seeding effects as well as those observed in non-stoichiometric SBT thin films with different bismuth contents are used to discuss the barrier-like role of the SBT seeds against reactions between film and the platinum electrode and its contribution to the improvement of the thin film properties.     

The effect of a strain induced field on the dielectric property of a ferroelectric bilayer system

The Transverse Ising Model (TIM) based on the effective-field theory has been developed to study the physical properties of the ferroelectric bilayer system BaTiO₃/SrTiO₃ (BTO/STO), based on the differential operator technique. The effect of strain on the interfacial layers between two different slabs (A and B) can be described by the effective built-in field E₂. The ferroelectric behavior of a bilayer system is strongly influenced by strain and associated with slab thickness. The phase transition temperature shifts toward a higher value on increasing the slab thickness. The susceptibility strongly depends on both the strength of strain and the slab thickness. The height of the peak from the plot of susceptibility against temperature decreases on increasing the slab thickness. The pyroelectric coefficient changes into a round peak at the transition temperature that is different from the sharp peak in the absence of external and strain-induced fields.     

Microwave properties of film Ba x Sr1 ? x TiO3 ferroelectric variconds with a magnesium-containing additive

The electrophysical properties of bulk ceramics based on Ba _x Sr_{1 ? x} TiO₃ solid solutions with a Mg-containing additive and planar variconds based on ferroelectric films obtained by the ion-plasma sputtering of targets with different elemental compositions are studied. Controllability n(U) = C(0)/C(U) and the dielectric loss tangent (tan??) of ferroelectric variconds are measured as functions of the elemental composition of the ferroelectric. The figure of merit of the variconds is estimated, and the film composition providing the best electrophysical parameters is determined.     

Ferroelectric (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 thin films showing photoluminescence properties

Polycrystalline lead-free (Na_1/2Bi_1/2)TiO₃ (NBT) ferroelectric thin films doped with 1 mol% of rare earth (RE) elements are processed on Pt-terminated silicon substrates using a solution deposition method. The thin films that exhibit single-phase perovskite structure show photoluminescence properties with highest intensities in the wavelength range between 700 and 850 nm, depending on RE element. The ferroelectric properties of the pure NBT film (P _r: 20.5 µC cm^?2, E _c: 150 kV cm^?1) are somewhat decreased for the doped films, which is ascribed to decreasing of the number of Bi lone pairs through the substitution of Bi with RE elements in the perovskite lattice.     

Phase diagram of ferroelectric thin film with diluted surface

We study the influence of the surface of the ferroelectric films on the properties of the intrinsic ferroelectric polarization state in frame of statistical Transverse Ising Model (TIM). The quality of the surface is modelled by the dilution parameter q$q$ that reflects the relative weight of the paraelectric impurities vs. ferroelectric ions. Using the effective field approach the variation of the average value of spontaneous polarization as function of temperature for different film thicknesses has been investigated as function of dilution parameter q$q$. The phase diagram of the system and crossover from the ferroelectric to the paraelectric phase is discussed.     

Retention characteristics of Au/Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12/Si metal-ferro- electric-semiconductor structure

Lanthanum-substituted bismuth titanate (Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂) (BLT) thin films were deposited on p-type Si(100) substrates using a chemical solution deposition process. The ferroelectric and dielectric properties of the films with an Au/BLT/Si structure were investigated. It was found that retention behaviors of the capacitors after polling with a negative and positive voltage were very different. The capacitor at an accumulation state exhibited a better retention characteristic than that at a depletion state. A rapid loss of memory for the capacitor at depletion state was found and attributed to the depolarization fields inside the ferroelectric film. It is proposed that the interaction between injected charges and ferroelectric polarization plays a role in the retention properties of the MFS capacitors.