Domain wall state diagram for SrTiO₃/BaTiO₃ superlattice structures

Abstract

The domain wall structure of ferroelectric/paraelectric superlattices can be much more complex due to the influence of the superlattice stacking structure, the in-plane strain induced by the substrate and environmental temperature. In this study, we employed a phase field model to investigate the domain wall state of the SrTiO3/BaTiO3 superlattice structure. The domain wall thickness for the SrTiO3/BaTiO3 layer was measured using a hyperbolic function. Based on the simulation results, here, we show a domain wall state diagram to distinguish the hard and soft domain states. The polarization profiles across hard/soft domain walls were illustrated and analyzed. Our simulation results offer a useful concept for the control of the domain wall state in the ferroelectric superlattice.