March 1, 2012
Journal Article

Dipole spring ferroelectrics in superlattice SrTiO3/BaTiO3 thin films exhibiting constricted hysteresis loops

Abstract

Ferroelectric superlattice heterostructures have recently been explored for potential applications in electronic devices. In this letter we employed the phase-field approach to simulate the domain structure and switching of a (BaTiO3)8/(SrTiO3)3 superlattice film constrained by a GdScO3 substrate. A constricted ferroelectric hysteresis loop was observed with a high saturation polarization but a small coercive field. The shape of the hysteresis loop is understood by analyzing the ferroelectric polarization distributions during switching. It is demonstrated that the constricted loop show a similar mechanism to the exchange coupling effect in magnetic multilayers.

Revised: July 23, 2013 | Published: March 1, 2012

Citation

Wu P., X. Ma, Y. Li, V. Gopalan, and L. Chen. 2012. Dipole spring ferroelectrics in superlattice SrTiO3/BaTiO3 thin films exhibiting constricted hysteresis loops. Applied Physics Letters 100, no. 9:Article No. 092905. PNNL-SA-82288. doi:10.1063/1.3691172