Abstract
The remnant polarization of weakly coupled ferroelectric-dielectric superlattices is distributed unequally between the component layers, and as a result the components respond differently to applied electric fields. The difference is apparent in both the nanometer-scale structure of striped polarization domains and in the development of piezoelectric strain and field-induced polarization. Both effects are probed with in situ time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a superlattice in fields up to . Domains are initially distorted to increase the polarization in the layer while retaining the striped motif. The subsequent transformation to a uniform polarization state at a later time leads to piezoelectric expansion dominated by the field-induced polarization of the layers. The results are consistent with theoretical predictions of the field dependence of the domain structure and electrical polarization.
- Received 5 November 2012
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.047601
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