Finite-size effects in lead scandium tantalate relaxor thin films
Abstract
Large electromechanical effects in relaxor ferroelectrics are generally attributed to the collective response of an ensemble of correlated, nanometer-sized polar structures induced by chemical and charge disorder. Here, we study finite-size effects on such polar order (i.e., how it evolves when sample dimensions approach the polarization correlation length) in 7–70-nm-thick films of the relaxor ferroelectric PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3. Temperature-dependent polarization studies reveal a linear suppression of the polarization and nonlinearity associated with relaxor order as the film thickness decreases to ≈ 30 nm. Below this thickness, however, the suppression rapidly accelerates, and polarization is completely absent by film thicknesses of ≈ 7 nm, despite the continued observation of a broad peak in dielectric permittivity and frequency dispersion. Diffuse-scattering measurements reveal the diffuse-scattering symmetry, and analysis suggests the films have a polarization correlation length of ≈ 23 nm. Finally, taken together, it is apparent that reduction of sample size and the resulting distribution of polar structures drive suppression and eventual quenching of the electrical response of relaxors, which may be attributed to increasing dipole-dipole and dipole-interface interactions.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[3]
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (United States)
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; National Science Foundation (NSF); US Army Research Office (ARO)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1619165
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1603202
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; SC012375; DMR-1708615; W911NF-14-1-0104; AC02-05-CH11231; SC0012375
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review B
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 101; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; dielectric properties; electric polarization; ferroelectricity; permittivity; thin films; epitaxy
Citation Formats
Fernandez, Abel, Kim, Jieun, Meyers, Derek, Saremi, Sahar, and Martin, Lane W. Finite-size effects in lead scandium tantalate relaxor thin films. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1103/physrevb.101.094102.
Fernandez, Abel, Kim, Jieun, Meyers, Derek, Saremi, Sahar, & Martin, Lane W. Finite-size effects in lead scandium tantalate relaxor thin films. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.101.094102
Fernandez, Abel, Kim, Jieun, Meyers, Derek, Saremi, Sahar, and Martin, Lane W. Wed .
"Finite-size effects in lead scandium tantalate relaxor thin films". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.101.094102. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1619165.
@article{osti_1619165,
title = {Finite-size effects in lead scandium tantalate relaxor thin films},
author = {Fernandez, Abel and Kim, Jieun and Meyers, Derek and Saremi, Sahar and Martin, Lane W.},
abstractNote = {Large electromechanical effects in relaxor ferroelectrics are generally attributed to the collective response of an ensemble of correlated, nanometer-sized polar structures induced by chemical and charge disorder. Here, we study finite-size effects on such polar order (i.e., how it evolves when sample dimensions approach the polarization correlation length) in 7–70-nm-thick films of the relaxor ferroelectric PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3. Temperature-dependent polarization studies reveal a linear suppression of the polarization and nonlinearity associated with relaxor order as the film thickness decreases to ≈ 30 nm. Below this thickness, however, the suppression rapidly accelerates, and polarization is completely absent by film thicknesses of ≈ 7 nm, despite the continued observation of a broad peak in dielectric permittivity and frequency dispersion. Diffuse-scattering measurements reveal the diffuse-scattering symmetry, and analysis suggests the films have a polarization correlation length of ≈ 23 nm. Finally, taken together, it is apparent that reduction of sample size and the resulting distribution of polar structures drive suppression and eventual quenching of the electrical response of relaxors, which may be attributed to increasing dipole-dipole and dipole-interface interactions.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevb.101.094102},
journal = {Physical Review B},
number = 9,
volume = 101,
place = {United States},
year = {2020},
month = {3}
}
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