Atomic Structure of Highly Strained BiFeO3 Thin Films

M. D. Rossell, R. Erni, M. P. Prange, J.-C. Idrobo, W. Luo, R. J. Zeches, S. T. Pantelides, and R. Ramesh
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 047601 – Published 24 January 2012
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Abstract

We determine the atomic structure of the pseudotetragonal T phase and the pseudorhombohedral R phase in highly strained multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films by using a combination of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The coordination of the Fe atoms and their displacement relative to the O and Bi positions are assessed by direct imaging. These observations allow us to interpret the electronic structure data derived from electron energy-loss spectroscopy and provide evidence for the giant spontaneous polarization in strained BiFeO3 thin films.

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  • Received 11 August 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.047601

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. D. Rossell1,2,*, R. Erni1, M. P. Prange3,4, J.-C. Idrobo4,3, W. Luo5, R. J. Zeches6, S. T. Pantelides3,4, and R. Ramesh6,7,8

  • 1Electron Microscopy Center, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
  • 2Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
  • 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
  • 4Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
  • 5Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 6Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 7Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California 94720, USA
  • 8Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

  • *marta.rossell@empa.ch

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Vol. 108, Iss. 4 — 27 January 2012

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