The threshold electric field of 180° domain switching in the misfit strain-external electric field phase diagram

The single domain treatment on the selected single grain was performed by the negative DC bias in order to obtain the single-domain state, and the opposite color contrasts within the selected grain in piezoelectric phase images of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3 ferroelectric thin film were observed by piezoelectric force microscopy. Based on nonlinear thermodynamic theory, the a(1)c(-) and r(-) phases with the negative P-3 component are introduced to describe the electric-generated domain switching, and the external misfit strain-electric field phase diagram and the electric field-polarization components curve are simulated at the simplification of uniform stress/electric distribution for the single-domain state of a single grain. In phase diagram, the electric field at the misfit strain -0.002 evaluated by x ray diffraction is 139 kV/cm for the phase transition from a(1)c(-) phase to c(+) phase, and it is corresponding to the threshold electric field for 180 degrees domain switching observed by the piezoelectric phase images. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3610425]