Mechanical constraint effect on the crystallinity and the ferroelectric properties of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films

We applied tensile and compressive constraints during annealing processes to investigate the effect of stress on the crystallinity and ferroelectric properties of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films. Both the tensile and compressive stresses exerted pronounced effects on the volume fraction of the pyrochlore phase and the grain growth mechanisms of the SBT films. The effects of the stress correlated with the change of crystallization temperatures. Because the stress applied to an SBT sample during its crystallization led to the creation of distinct microstructures and constituted phases of the film, our SBT samples exhibited distinct ferroelectric behavior under various stressing conditions.