Abstract Spontaneous polarization and crystallographic orientations within ferroelectric domains are investigated using an epitaxially grown BiFeO3thin film under bi-axial tensile strain. Four dimensional-scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) and atomic resolution STEM techniques revealed that the tensile strain applied is not enough to cause breakdown of equilibrium BiFeO3symmetry (rhombohedral with space group:R3c). 4D-STEM data exhibit two types of BiFeO3ferroelectric domains: one with projected polarization vector possessing out-of-plane component only, and the other with that consisting of both in-plane and out-of-plane components. For domains with only out-of-plane polarization, convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) patterns exhibit “extra” Bragg’s reflections (compared to CBED of cubic-perovskite) that indicate rhombohedral symmetry. In addition, beam damage effects on ferroelectric property measurements were investigated by systematically changing electron energy from 60 to 300 keV.
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Large bi-axial tensile strain effect in epitaxial BiFeO3 film grown on single crystal PrScO3
Abstract A BiFeO3film is grown epitaxially on a PrScO3single crystal substrate which imparts ~ 1.45% of biaxial tensile strain to BiFeO3resulting from lattice misfit. The biaxial tensile strain effect on BiFeO3is investigated in terms of crystal structure, Poisson ratio, and ferroelectric domain structure. Lattice resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, precession electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction results clearly show that in-plane interplanar distance of BiFeO3is the same as that of PrScO3with no sign of misfit dislocations, indicating that the biaxial tensile strain caused by lattice mismatch between BiFeO3and PrScO3are stored as elastic energy within BiFeO3film. Nano-beam electron diffraction patterns compared with structure factor calculation found that the BiFeO3maintains rhombohedral symmetry, i.e., space group ofR3c. The pattern analysis also revealed two crystallographically distinguishable domains. Their relations with ferroelectric domain structures in terms of size and spontaneous polarization orientations within the domains are further understood using four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy technique.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2039380
- PAR ID:
- 10489003
- Publisher / Repository:
- SpringerNature
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2045-2322
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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