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Phase stability of heteroepitaxial polydomain BaTiO3 thin films

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Abstract

The phase stability of ferroelectric, epitaxial, polydomain BaTiO3 thin films was examined using temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction (XRD) and in-plane electronic polarization measurements. The epitaxial BaTiO3 thin films were grown on MgO(100) substrates by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition process. As-deposited and annealed BaTiO3 thin films with different domain structures were examined. Temperature-dependent plane-normal XRD analysis reveals well-defined phase transitions at 140 and 169 °C in the c- and a-oriented films, respectively. The measured Curie temperatures are consistent with those predicted by Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire theory as applied to polydomain BaTiO3 thin films. Temperature-dependent in-plane electronic polarization measurements confirm that the 140 °C Curie temperature observed in the c-oriented film is a well-defined second-order paraelectric-ferroelectric transition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, USA

    A. L. Meier, A. Y. Desai & B. W. Wessels

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695, USA

    A. Y. Desai

  3. Department of Chemistry and Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, USA

    L. Wang & T. J. Marks

  4. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, USA

    B. W. Wessels

Authors
  1. A. L. Meier
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  2. A. Y. Desai
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  3. L. Wang
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  5. B. W. Wessels
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Correspondence to B. W. Wessels.

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Meier, A.L., Desai, A.Y., Wang, L. et al. Phase stability of heteroepitaxial polydomain BaTiO3 thin films. Journal of Materials Research 22, 1384–1389 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0178

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0178

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