Ferroelectric phase transition of a finite alternating superlattice

The phase transition properties of ferroelectric supperlattice with finite alternating layers have been investigated by using the transverse Ising model within the mean field approximation. The effects of surface modification are introduced on the assumption that the exchange interaction and transverse field parameters on the top surface are different from those in other layers of the superlattice. The phase diagrams are described in two different ways. The results indicate that the features of the phase diagrams can be greatly modified by changing the transverse Ising model parameters. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.