Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2013
The characteristic properties, the critical surface transverse field Ωsc and the Curie temperature Tc, for an N-layer ferroelectric thin film with epitaxy surface layers Ns described by the transverse field Ising model have been studied by the differential operator technique within the framework of effective-field theory with correlations. The analytical equation for the phase diagrams of ferroelectric thin films is derived. The surface transverse field Ωs dependence of the Curie temperature Tc in the ferroelectric thin film with different epitaxy surface layers is calculated. Meanwhile the epitaxy surface layer number Ns dependence of the critical surface transverse field Ωsc and the Curie temperature Tc is also examined. The results show that the critical properties depend heavily on modifications of interchange interactions and transverse fields in the epitaxy surface layer.