Authors: Pravin Kavle, Jacob A. Zorn, Arvind Dasgupta, Bo Wang, Maya Ramesh, Long‐Qing Chen, Lane W. Martin
Published: 2022-08-02
Source: Full article
AbstractThe potential for creating hierarchical domain structures, or mixtures of energetically degenerate phases with distinct patterns that can be modified continually, in ferroelectric thin films offers a pathway to control their mesoscale structure beyond lattice‐mismatch strain with a substrate. Here, it is demonstrated that varying the strontium content provides deterministic strain‐driven control of hierarchical domain structures in Pb1−xSrxTiO3 solid‐solution thin films wherein two types, c/a and a1/a2, of nanodomains can coexist. Combining phase‐field simulations, epitaxial thin‐film growth, detailed structural, domain, and physical‐property characterization, it is observed that the system undergoes a gradual transformation (with increasing strontium content) from droplet‐like a1/a2 domains in a c/a domain matrix, to a connected‐labyrinth geometry of c/a domains, to a disconnected labyrinth structure of the same, and, finally, to droplet‐like c/a domains in an a1/a2 domain matrix. A relationship between the different mixed‐phase modulation patterns and its topological nature is established. Annealing the connected‐labyrinth structure leads to domain coarsening forming distinctive regions of parallel c/a and a1/a2 domain stripes, offering additional design flexibility. Finally, it is found that the connected‐labyrinth domain patterns exhibit the highest dielectric permittivity.