Domain- and symmetry-transition origins of reduced nanosecond piezoelectricity in ferroelectric/dielectric superlattices

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2012 · New Journal of Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/14/1/013034· OSTI ID:1042865

Chen, Pice ^[1]; Jo, Ji Young ^[1]; Lee, Ho Nyung ^[2]; Dufresne, Eric M. ^[3]; Nakhmanson, Serge ^[3]; Evans, Paul G. ^[1]

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1. University of Wisconsin, Madison
2. ORNL
3. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

Complex-oxide superlattices (SLs) with atomic-scale periodicity have dynamical properties that are distinct from thin films of uniform composition. The origins of these properties are closely related to the dynamics of polarization domains and to field-driven changes in the symmetries resulting from interfacial coupling between different components. These dynamics are apparent at timescales from a few nanoseconds to several milliseconds in experiments probing the piezoelectricity of a ferroelectric/dielectric BaTiO{sub 3}(BTO)/CaTiO{sub 3} (CTO) SL using time-resolved x-ray microdiffraction. At the 100 ns timescale, the piezoelectric distortion is approximately ten times smaller than in the millisecond regime. This reduced piezoelectricity at short timescales is not observed in previously studied PbTiO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} SLs or compositionally uniform ferroelectrics such as tetragonal compositions of Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3}. The unusual behavior of the BTO/CTO SL can be linked to the switching of a nanodomain state into a uniform polarization state or to a field-induced crystallographic symmetry transition. A comparison of the results with the characteristic timescales of these two dynamical phenomena in other complex oxides with different compositions suggests that the phase transition is a more likely possibility.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1042865
• Journal Information: New Journal of Physics, Journal Name: New Journal of Physics Vol. 14
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
OXIDES
PERIODICITY
PIEZOELECTRICITY
POLARIZATION
SUPERLATTICES
SYMMETRY
THIN FILMS