Properties of Phase Transformation of Ferroelectric Thin Films with Surface Layers

Using the generalized Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire theory, the characteristics of phase transformation of a ferroelectric thin film with surface layers are investigated. We study the effect of the surface layer on the properties (coercive field, critical thickness) of a ferroelectric thin film. Our theoretical results show that the surface layer is likely to answer for the emergence of phase transformation.