nfluence of imperfect surface on properties of ferroelectric thin film

Using the Ginzburg–Landau–Devonshire theory and taking into account structural difference between imperfect surface layer and bulk ferroelectrics, the behavior of ferroelectric thin film coated with two metallic electrodes is studied. The effects of the imperfect surface layer are to reduce effective polarization, produce non-uniform polarization distribution and lower the phase transition temperature. We show that the non-screened depolarization field also makes the polarization distribution more uniform and shifts the hysteresis loop due to the asymmetric nature of thin film–substrate configuration.  2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.