Simulation on the Hysteresis of Ferroelectric Thin Films

Abstract

The ferroelectric hysteresis in thin films is studied using a computer simulation model based on Time Dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations. The model for the polarization of ferroelectric thin film is set up with the analysis of the crystal structure and the principle of spontaneous polarization. For stress-free ferroelectric thin film model, the total energy for the model is the sum of the Landau free energy, the local depolarization energy, the electric dipole-dipole interactions and the energy induced by external electric field. The temporal evolution of the polarization vectors is investigated by solving the Ginzburg-Landau equations numerically, and the ferroelectric hysteresis is obtained. The effect of crystal orientation on the ferroelectric properties in thin films is also discussed.