Effect of interfaces in Monte Carlo computer simulations of ferroelectric materials

In this article, Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to investigate the influence of interface layers between the ferroelectric core material and the electrodes on the hysteresis loop in ferroelectric thin films. The hysteresis loops were calculated using an existing Monte Carlo model. For certain interface configurations, the simulations resulted in asymmetric hysteresis loops, similar to imprinted loops; due to asymmetric nucleation kinetics. Although the results might not offer-a new explanation for imprint in ferroelectric thin films, they provide insight into the often observed phenomenon of initially imprinted hysteresis loops of as-prepared thin-film samples. (C) 2004, American Institute of Physics.