Defect-dipole defined nanoscale ferroelectric polar-orders induced in Barium Zirconate

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• 作者：Moumita Dutta^a ; ^{moumita.dutta87@gmail.com} ; Ying Ding^b ; ^c ; Jianghua Chen^b ; Chonglin Chen^c ; Amar Bhalla^a ; Ruyan Guo^a
• 关键词：Ferroelectric materials ; Thin films ; Vacancies ; Scanning probe microscopy (SPM)
• 刊名：Scripta Materialia
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：15 March 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：130
• 期：Complete
• 页码：119-123
• 全文大小：1130 K
• 卷排序：130

文摘

Nanoscale ferroelectric behaviour has been investigated in epitaxial BaZrO3 thin films grown in an oxygen deficient environment. Though centrosymmetric in nature, prominent ferroelectric polar states were observed via Piezo Force Microscopy (PFM), with polarization switching achieved when oppositely poled. Absence of intrinsic polar directions annul the conventional root causes for ferroelectricity like structural asymmetry and strain, rather attributes the nanoscale polar orders observed, to defect dipoles originated from oxygen vacancies introduced during the film growth. Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM) exhibiting inhomogeneous distribution of surface potential confirms the accumulation of oxygen vacancies contributing towards the measured polarizations.