Role of ferroelectric polarization during growth of highly strained ferroelectric materials.

In ferroelectric thin films and superlattices, the polarization is intricately linked to crystal structure. Here we show that it can also play an important role in the growth process, influencing growth rates, relaxation mechanisms, electrical properties and domain structures. This is studied by focusing on the properties of BaTiO thin films grown on very thin layers of PbTiO using x-ray diffraction, piezoforce microscopy, electrical characterization and rapid in-situ x-ray diffraction reciprocal space maps during the growth using synchrotron radiation.

Coherent X-ray measurement of step-flow propagation during growth on polycrystalline thin film surfaces.

The properties of artificially grown thin films are strongly affected by surface processes during growth. Coherent X-rays provide an approach to better understand such processes and fluctuations far from equilibrium. Here we report results for vacuum deposition of C on a graphene-coated surface investigated with X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy in surface-sensitive conditions.