Domain evolution in ferroelectric materials: A continuum phase field model and finite element implementation

A numerical tool for simulating the polarization distribution in ferroelectric materials is presented. Using the concept of a phase field, a continuum physics model is established which is descretized with finite elements. The main feature of the numerical implementation is an implicit time integration of the non-linear evolution equation. Representative examples and comparison to experimental measurements from the literature show the main features of the model.