Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001) and LaAlO3(001) substrates. The growth mode was determined to be two-dimensional by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The films were structurally and dielectrically characterized ex-situ using X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and split cavity resonance mode dielectrometry. The structural and dielectric properties of the Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 film grown on MgO were determined to be inferior to the film grown on LaAlO3, as was indicated by the broader rocking curve (0.59 deg. vs. 0.17 deg.) and higher dielectric loss (0.29 vs. 0.12).

Multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films have been prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/thick (200 μm) and membrane (15 μm) Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to confirm the influence of stress from substrate. Si membrane was obtained by etching using reactive ion etching (RIE) until thickness is to be 15 μm. The X-ray diffraction peaks of BiFeO3 thin film on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (15 μm) membrane substrate slightly shift to lower angles, compared to those on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (200 μm) substrate. Ferroelectric hysteresis loops were also measured at 150 K before and after Si etching by RIE. The BiFeO3 thin film on the Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (15 μm) membrane structure shows remanent polarization (Pr) of 95 μC/cm2 for a maximum applied voltage of 18 V, which is larger than Pr = 71 μC/cm2 of BiFeO3 thin film on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (200 μm) substrate at the same measurement conditions. Under magnetic field of 1.1 T, remanent polarization (Pr) of BiFeO3 thin film on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (15 μm) membrane structure increased from 95 μC/cm2 to 101 μC/cm2 at 150 K due to stress relaxation of BiFeO3 thin film.

Epitaxially grown oxide superlattices are attracting considerable attention due to their unusual properties and possible applications ranging from sensors to electronic devices [1]. We report a first-principles study of interfaces in the epitaxial LaAlO3/SrTiO3 system within density functional theory. We consider the electronic structure of the n-type interface, and compute the band alignment

We report the study of the magneto-optical properties of composite multiferroic thin films composed of CoFe2O4 nanopillars embedded in a BiFeO3 matrix. The magneto-optical Kerr rotation and Kerr ellipticity in these films have been measured and are in good agreement with magnetization measurements. The Kerr signal has been studied as a function of film composition and nanopillar diameter confirming that the magneto-optical signal is due solely to the CoFe2O4 nanopillars.

Epitaxial SrTiO3 (001) thin films with a TiN template layer have been deposited on Si(001) single crystal substrates by RF sputtering. The deposited SrTiO3 films show a surface with roughness of 0.66nm. The orientation relationship was determined to be SrTiO3(001)[110]∥TiN(001)[110]∥Si(001)[110]. The microstructure and interface of the multilayer was studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electron diffraction pattern confirmed the epitaxial relationship between each layer.

Direct observations for high frequency microscopic dielectric distributions in cross sections of a multi-layer ceramic capacitor were carried out using non-contact type microwave probe. The measured data were imaged from the raw data and rounding data process. Using microwave reflection intensity mappings from cross sections of multi-layer ceramic capacitor, the dielectric permittivity distribution in micro-region of a multi-layer ceramic capacitor was measured at room temperature. The spatial resolution was experimentally estimated to be about 10 μm from mappings of the dielectric and inner electrode layers in a multi-layer ceramic capacitor.

Strontium Titanate (STO) substrates were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to assess possible changes incurred by deposition of multiferroic thin films. To this effect, STO was vacuum annealed at pressures of 10−5 Torr for one hour at temperatures in the range of 200 – 500 °C. EPR spectra, measured before and after each anneal, revealed changes in the amount of three different defects, Cr3+, Fe3+ and an iron-oxygen vacancy complex, Fe3+Vo. The latter was used to monitor the diffusion of oxygen. EPR analysis showed that Fe3+Vo increases from its as-grown value, suggesting that a charged oxygen species is mobile in the substrate under film deposition conditions. Coupled with a subsequent O2 anneal showing minimal change in the Fe3+Vo signal, the data indicate a loss of oxygen from the sample during vacuum annealing. As charged oxygen vacancies may affect the substrate as well as the substrate/ thin film interface, these results are important for understanding the behavior of multiferroic devices built on STO substrates.

A photocurrent directed opposite to ferroelectric (FE) polarization is observed in short-circuit thin-film polycrystalline Pt/PZT/Ir structures. The direction and magnitude of photocurrent are defined by the sign and magnitude of the FE polarization. A model based on a photovoltaic effect with characteristics determined by polarization of PZT grains is proposed. The model considers the field interaction of FE polarization charge with the charge carriers in intergranular PbO channel. Thin-film FE capacitor is considered as a photosensitive heterogeneous medium, where the conduction of PbO channels along PZT grain boundaries is controlled by FE polarization.

Change of the charge ordered (CO) structure by substituting Cu2+ for Fe2+ in LuFe2O4 was investigated by means of the transmission electron microscopy. The CO structure in LuFe2O4 is characterized by the modulated structure with the wave vector of q=1/3[1-13/2] and the average size of the CO domains can be estimated to be about 10-20nm. On the contrary, the Cu2+ substitution in LuFe2O4 destroyed the CO structure drastically and induced characteristic local lattice distortion, which gives rise to characteristic diffuse scattering in the reciprocal space. High-resolution lattice images revealed that there exist nano-scale clusters, which are characterized as the short-range ordering of the Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions on the triangular lattice. In addition, the magnetic measurement revealed that LuFeCuO4 exhibits an antiferromagnetic transition around 50K, which is lower than the Neel temperature of 250K in LuFe2O4.

Cr2O3-doped (Ba0.55Sr0.4Ca0.05)TiO3 ceramics were fabricated by the mixed-oxide method. Their dielectric properties were investigated with the variation of Cr3+ doping concentrations (0∼2.0mol%). All the BSCT specimens owned dense and homogeneous structure. Doping of Cr3+ could reduce the Curie temperature and their dielectric constant peak values, and improve the thermal stabilities of their dielectric properties. Both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the BSCT ceramics were reduced by doping Cr ions when the dopant concentration was lower than 1.5mol%. 1.0mol% Cr-doped BSCT specimens are expected to be the candidate materials for microwave tunable devices, whose tunability, dielectric constant and loss were 16.1%, 2700 and 0.24% respectively.

We studied ferroelectric domain wall regions in lithium niobate using the photoluminescence of intentionally doped rare earth ions (such as Er3+) as well as Raman spectroscopy and present an overview of the current status of our ongoing investigations. We find that the Er emission is a sensitive tool to observe changes in local electric fields as well as reconfiguration of defect dipoles across the domain wall. The Raman spectra, on the other hand can be used to identify charges that accumulate asymmetrically across a domain wall. We further demonstrate that the imaging methods offer sufficient sensitivity to observe the changes associated with a domain in real time while it is moving.

Piezoelectric ZnO and PZT films for acoustic wave device have been investigated. The films used for acoustic wave devices require textured structure, high piezoelectric coefficients, and high electromechanical coupling coefficients, because the piezoelectric films launch and receive the acoustic wave. We fabricated ZnO films by RF magnetron sputtering, and PZT films by chemical solution deposition (CSD). Results showed that uniform, dense and highly textured films were obtained under optimal process parameters. The film texture was controlled by modifying process parameters, such as gas kinds, gas ratio, and substrate type for sputtered ZnO films, and the presence of chelating agent, temperature of heat treatment, and substrate type for solution derived PZT films. Flexural plate wave (FPW) device has been successfully integrated onto 4-inch silicon wafers with optimized piezoelectric films.

Epitaxial growth of PbO, TiO2 and ZrO2 has been achieved on MOCVD grown GaN template using oxides MBE with a reactive H2O2 oxygen source. In situ RHEED was used to monitor the growth in-situ. AFM was used to characterize the surface morphology of the thin PbO and ZrO2, which show streaky, 2-D RHEED patterns. XRD pattern indicates that the growth orientation of these oxides are PbO [111]//GaN [0002], ZrO2[100]//GaN [0002] and TiO2[200]//GaN[0002].

Recently, we have developed Non-Contact Scanning Nonlinear Dielectric Microscopy (NC-SNDM) with a new height-control technique utilizing higher order nonlinear dielectric constant detection (ε(4) signal). In theoretically, NC-SNDM has quite high height sensitivity against the gap between tip and sample as well as STM technique and the simultaneous observation of the topography and ferroelectric polarization (local dipole moment) distribution with atomic resolution has been expected. To confirm such performance of NC-SNDM with atomic resolution, UHV-SNDM was developed and Si(111) cleaned surface was chosen as a specimen. As a result, we have succeeded in observing Si(111) 7×7 atomic structure. Moreover, distribution of tunneling current and lowest order nonlinear dielectric signal ε(3) could be observed simultaneously. To the best our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of the atomic resolution achievement in dielectric microscopy techniques.

Thin film nanogranular composites of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) dispersed in a barium titanate (BaTiO3) matrix were deposited by laser ablation with different cobalt ferrite concentrations (x). The films were polycrystalline and composed by a mixture of tetragonal-BaTiO3 and CoFe2O4 with the cubic spinnel structure. A slight (111) barium titanate phase orientation and (311) CoFe2O4 phase orientation was observed. As the concentration of the cobalt ferrite increased, the grain size of the BaTiO3 phase decreased, from 91nm to 30nm, up to 50% CoFe2O4 concentration, beyond which the BaTiO3 grain size take values in the range 30-35nm. On the other hand the cobalt ferrite grain size did not show a clear trend with increasing cobalt ferrite concentration, fluctuating in the range 25nm to 30nm. The lattice parameter of the CoFe2O4 phase increased with increasing x. However, it was always smaller than the bulk value indicating that, in the films, the cobalt ferrite was under compressive stress that was progressively relaxed with increasing CoFe2O4 concentration. The magnetic measurements showed a decrease of coercive field with increasing x, which was attributed to the relaxation of the stress in the films and to the increase of particle agglomeration in bigger polycrystalline clusters with increasing cobalt ferrite concentration.

The growth of Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (PZT) films by molecular beam epitaxy was demonstrated. Single-crystal, single-phase PZT films were grown on (001) SrTiO3 substrates at a growth temperature of 600°C. In situ monitoring of the growth process by reflection high-energy electron diffraction revealed two dimensional growth for the PZT constituent ternaries, namely, PbTiO3 and PbZrO3, and three-dimensional growth for PZT films of intermediate compositions. Layer-by-layer growth of PZT films, however, was achieved by using a PbTiO3 buffer layer between the SrTiO3 substrate and PZT films. Optical properties of the films of the end ternaries were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Refractive index at 633 nm was found to be 2.66 for PbTiO3 and 2.40 for PbZrO3. Band gap energies of PbTiO3 and PbZrO3 were determined as 3.81 and 3.86 eV, in good agreement with theoretically calculated values. The P-E hysteresis loop of a 70-nm-thick PZT film was well saturated and had a square shape. The remanent polarization and the coercive field were 83 μC/cm2 and 77 kV/cm, respectively, which are respectable.

Effects of Praseodymium doping on the ferroelectric properties of Bi4Ti3O12 were investigated using dense ceramics from room temperature to 730 °C. DRX and XPS studies shows that the structure can accept only 10% of praseodymium without the precipitation of second phases. Thermoelectric analysis and ferroelectric hysteresis measurements were performed and show that the incorporation of praseodymium modified the transition temperature Tc and slightly the polarization values. The incorporation of praseodymium resulted in a variation in the permittivity and in the remanent polarization (2Pr). The polarization characteristics in the samples doping were different to Bi4Ti3O12.

Battery, the traditional power source in present wireless remote sensor systems, has large volume and requires large amount of maintenance. Therefore, piezoelectric power generator has been studied for a potential alternative to battery by scavenging or harvesting energy from its operating environment. The efforts for investigating such piezoelectric device have been especially enhanced by the miniaturization requirement and low energy consumption of advanced devices as well as the sufficient vibration energy sources and its high conversion efficiency. To utilize piezoelectric material as energy conversion transducer, the device should be designed to operate with high efficiency and simple configuration. PZT (Lead Zirconium Titanate) is an excellent candidate for energy conversion because of its large piezoelectric constant and coupling coefficient.

In this study, power generators based on bimorph cantilever structure were designed and fabricated using PZT ceramic benders due to accessible large strain or energy. The parameters influencing the output energy of piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers including the dimensions of the cantilever and the proof mass, the loading ways of the proof mass, and the resonant frequency of the cantilever were systematically investigated. The robustness of cantilever structure was also considered for implementing piezoelectric power conversion devices in harsh environments. The final optimal design was realized by considering the balance between the output power and the safety factor through numerical analysis. The energy density generated by the optimized piezoelectric devices was higher than 1 mW at 1-g vibration, which could be enough to operate microsensor systems. To broaden the operation conditions, multiple-resonant frequency device was also explored.

In order to describe the role of temperature variation on suppress of broad range of magnetic transition, the effect of annealing on different samples of a Gd-based intermetallic compound (i.e., Gd2Au) is investigated. The X-ray, AC and D.C susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements for different annealed samples revealed that: (i) A great exchange dispersion is observed in A.C susceptibility (ii) This unstable exchange can be stabilized at certain annealing temperature, where the short rang unstable Ferromagnetic (F.M) breaks down or even changes to an Antiferromagnetic (AF.M) stable state. (iii) The DC susceptibility shows a spin-glass like transition temperature at TN= 61 K, above which the compound exhibits a completely paramagnetic (P.M) behavior and is field independent. (iv) the iso-termal magnetization does not follow the field induced transition (F.I.T) and behaves completely as a paramagnet which is independent of the field up to the highest available fields. The electrical resistivity measurement shows: a) A pronounced sharp bend at TN=61 K is manifested in ρ(T). b)some strong peak of X-ray pattern change into double adjacent lines in some intervals of low temperatures

Cross-sectional shapes of reversal nano-domain dots formed in a congruent LiTaO3 single-crystal recording medium were studied by scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM). Images obtained by SNDM measurements confirm that reversal nano-domain dots penetrate through the entire sample. The domain wall thickness was evaluated by the cross-sectional measurement results. The variation of the domain wall thickness as a function of sample thickness and of depth position was evaluated. It was found that thinner samples have a tendency to have thinner domain walls, and it was confirmed that the domain wall thickness at the bottom of the sample was thinner than at the front surface of the sample. A discussion of the measured result is also provided.