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Atomic mapping of structural distortions in 109° domain patterned BiFeO3 thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2017

Wen-Yuan Wang ,
Yin-Lian Zhu ,
Yun-Long Tang ,
Meng-Jiao Han ,
Yu-Jia Wang  and
Xiu-Liang Ma
Wen-Yuan Wang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; and Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, 621908 Jiangyou, Sichuan, China
Yin-Lian Zhu
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Yun-Long Tang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Meng-Jiao Han
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Yu-Jia Wang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Xiu-Liang Ma*
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, 730050 Lanzhou, China
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: xlma@imr.ac.cn
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Abstract

Structural distortions at the nanoscale are delicately linked with many exotic properties for ferroic thin films. Based on advanced aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we observe BiFeO3 thin films with variant tensile strain states and demonstrate at an atomic scale the interplay of intrinsic spontaneous structural distortions with external constraints. Structural parameters (the rhombohedral distortion and domain wall shear distortion) under zero (BiFeO3/GdScO3) and 1.5% (BiFeO3/PrScO3) lateral strain states are quantitatively analyzed which are suppressed within a few unit cells near the film/substrate interfaces. In particular, an interfacial layer with asymmetrical lattice distortions (enhanced and reduced out-of-plane lattice spacing) on the two sides of 109° domain wall is resolved. These structural distortions near the film/substrate interface in ferroic thin films reveal intense tanglement of intrinsic distortions of BiFeO3 with external boundary conditions, which could provide new insights for the development of nanoscale ferroelectric devices.

Keywords

ferroelectricfilmtransmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 32 , Issue 12 , 28 June 2017 , pp. 2423 - 2430
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2017 

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Footnotes

Contributing Editor: Cewen Nan

References

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