Engineered a/c domain patterns in multilayer (110) epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films: Impact on domain compliance and piezoelectric properties

While there is extensive literature on the influence of both compressive and tensile strain on the domain patterns of (001) tetragonal ferroelectric thin films, little is known regarding domain engineering in (110) films. The primary reason is the absence of suitable substrates that allow the growth of epitaxial films with this orientation. However, recent works emphasized the importance of this orientation with the possibility for e.g. to achieve ultra-high ferroelectric domain density. This work reports the controlled growth of a/c domain patterns in highly tetragonal monocrystalline (110) oriented Pb(Zr0.05, Ti0.95)O3. It is demonstrated that while a/c patterns can easily be realized in the single layer film relaxed under compressive misfit strain, modulation of tensile misfit strain through the use of buffer layers allows for consistent control of domain periodicity, in which case the average domain period was tuned between 630 and 60 nm. The effects of domain density and defects on both switching behavior and piezoelectric properties in single and multilayered structures are also investigated, revealing an optimum composition of the buffer layer for improved domain compliance and piezoelectric properties.