Quantitative determination of domain distribution in SrTiO3-competing effects of applied electric field and mechanical stress

J Phys Condens Matter. 2010 Jun 16;22(23):235903. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/22/23/235903. Epub 2010 May 21.

Abstract

Below its ordering temperature at 105 K, perovskite-type SrTiO(3) exhibits a tetragonal phase with three different structural domains that are strongly influenced by the application of uniaxial mechanical stresses and electric fields. A careful neutron diffraction study of superlattice reflections provides full quantitative information about the varying domain distributions under external loads as a function of temperature. It is shown that electric field and uniaxial stress exhibit competitive effects and the simultaneous application leads to a complex redistribution behaviour of the tetragonal domains. The results are discussed in the context of the formation of a field induced ferroelectric phase at low temperatures. The experimental findings demonstrate that its polarization is always perpendicular to the tetragonal axis and the polar phase has orthorhombic symmetry.