Quantification of Internal Electric Fields and Local Polarization in Ferroelectric Superlattices
Oxide heterostructure superlattices constitute a new family of materials with tunable ferroelectric properties. While theoretical models predict the presence of nanosized ferroelectric domains in these films, they had not been observed as the magnitude of the response functions challenges the limits of experimental detection. Here, a new protocol in a precise variant of piezoforce microscopy is used to image domains in BaTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices. Comparison of experimentally determined polarization to predictions of phase-field calculations is in quantitative agreement. Additionally, a combination of theory and experiment is used to determine the magnitude of internal electric field within the thin film, in a procedure that can be generalized to all ferroelectric films.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1028057
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-81420; TRN: US201121%%702
- Journal Information:
- ACS Nano, 5(1):640-646, Vol. 5, Issue 1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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