Nanocrystalline Ferroelectric/Relaxor Multilayers

• Published in: Ferroelectrics 2002-01, Vol.268 (1), p.193-198
• Main Authors: Schmitt, Heinz, Ziebert, Carlos, Sternberg, Andris, Zauls, Vismants, Kundzins, Maris, Kundzins, Karlis, Aulika, Ilze, Ehses, Karl-Heinz, Krüger, Jan K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Dielectric, piezoelectric, ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials; Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties; Diffuse Phase Transition; Exact sciences and technology; Inorganic compounds; Multilayer; Nanocrystalline; Niobates, titanates, tantalates, pzt ceramics, etc; Physics; Relaxor; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Structure of specific crystalline solids
• ISSN: 0015-0193; 1563-5112
• DOI: 10.1080/00150190211060

After investigations on sputtered nanocrystalline ferroelectric Pb 0.76 Ca 0.24 TiO 3 (PTC) films and nanocrystalline relaxor films, namely Pb(Sc 0.5 Ta 0.5 )O 3 (PST), Pb(Sc 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3 (PSN) and Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 (PMN) we started to investigate effects in multilayers of nanocrystalline ferroelectric and relaxor films. The increasing size of the crystallites, the crystal structure and the phase purity were characterized by profile analysis of the XRD spectra which reveal that the perovskite peaks of the PTC films in the multilayers are very well developed and the large amount of pyrochlore phase found in the single layers has almost been completely reduced. Temperature and frequency dependent dielectric measurements show not only typical relaxor properties but the existence of two maxima as well. Hysteresis loops have been recorded to look for thickness dependence.