Above Room Temperature Ferroelectricity in Epitaxially Strained KTaO3

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that epitaxial strain can induce and control ferroelectricity in KTaO3 thin films at temperatures above room temperature, revealing a new pathway to engineer ferroelectric materials.

Contribution

It shows that epitaxial strain transforms bulk KTaO3 into a tunable ferroelectric with high transition temperature, supported by experimental and thermodynamic analysis.

Findings

Epitaxial strain induces a tetragonal polar phase in KTaO3.

The Curie temperature can be systematically controlled with strain.

Robust ferroelectric hysteresis observed in strained KTaO3 films.

Abstract

Epitaxial strain is a powerful means to engineer emergent phenomena in thin films and heterostructures. Here, we demonstrate that KTaO3, a cubic perovskite in bulk form, can be epitaxially strained into a highly tunable ferroelectric. KTaO3 films grown commensurate to SrTiO3 (001) substrates experience an in-plane strain of -2.1 % that transforms the cubic structure into a tetragonal polar phase with transition temperature of 475 K, consistent with our thermodynamic calculations. We show that the Curie temperature and the spontaneous electric polarization can be system- atically controlled with epitaxial strain. Scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals cooperative polar displacements of the potassium columns with respect to the neighboring tantalum columns at room temperature. Optical second-harmonic generation results are described by a tetragonal polar point group (4mm), indicating the emergence of a global polar ground state. We observe a ferroelectric hysteresis response, using metal-insulator-metal capacitor test structures. The results demon- strate a robust intrinsic ferroelectric state in epitaxially strained KTaO3 thin films.