Scaling of the Coercive Field with Thickness in Thin-Film Ferroelectrics

TL;DR

This paper presents a statistical model explaining how the coercive field in thin-film ferroelectrics scales with thickness, linking it to nucleation rates, and discusses the model's assumptions and limitations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel statistical approach that connects coercive field scaling to nucleation rate dependence, advancing understanding of ferroelectric thin-film behavior.

Findings

Scaling exponent is linked to nucleation rate field dependence

Model explains observed thickness-scaling over five decades

Discussion of assumptions highlights model limitations

Abstract

Motivated by the observed thickness-scaling of the coercive field in ferroelectric films over five decades, we develop a statistical approach towards understanding the conceptual underpinnings of this behavior. Here the scaling exponent is determined by the field-dependence of a known and measured quantity, the nucleation rate per unit area. We end with a discussion of our initial assumptions and point to instances where they could no longer be applicable.