Phase transition related stress in ferroelectric thin films

An uneven distribution of stress in the thickness direction was introduced into Landau theory to investigate the critical behavior of phase transition of ferroelectric thin films. The Curie temperature T-C was calculated to i ncrease and decrease for compressive and tensile stress cases, respectively . The dispersion of phase transition was predicted. The diffusivity increas ed with stress, but showed a non-monotonic relation to film thickness. The results of the calculations were compared with some experimental results. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.