Thickness Dependence of Switching Behavior in Ferroelectric BiFeO3 Thin Films: A Phase-Field Simulation

Abstract

A phase-field approach to the analysis of the thickness effects in electric-field-induced domain switching in BiFeO3 thin films has been formulated. Time evolutions of domain switching percentage for films with different thicknesses were explored to reveal the primary switching path and its dependence on film thickness. In addition, hysteresis loop for these films were calculated to obtain their coercive fields. Results show a nonlinear thickness dependence of coercive field for ultrathin films. A parametric study of the interactions between film thickness, coercive field, current-voltage (I-V) response, and polarization switching behavior is herein discussed, which could provide physical insights into materials engineering.

Keywords

• phase-field method
• bismuth ferrite
• polarization switching
• thickness effect