Ferroelectric properties of MBE grown BTO/STO:Nb layer
Abstract
Barium titanate (BaTiO 3 , BTO) is an archetypal ferroelectric of broad technological relevance. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) offers compelling advantages for BTO thin film growth, such as superior crystalline quality and epitaxial integration with semiconductor substrates. However, the low oxygen partial pressures inherent to MBE environments, together with the challenges associated with precise stoichiometry control when using elemental sources, promote composition imbalances and oxygen 1 vacancy formation and make MBE-grown BTO films significantly less documented than their pulsed laser deposition (PLD) or sputtered counterparts. Here, we present a detailed study of the ferroelectric response of an epitaxial MBE-grown BTO thin film, combining synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction with temperature-and frequencydependent electrical characterizations, including the first Rayleigh analysis reported for an MBE-grown BTO layer, and only the third direct demonstration of ferroelectricity in such films based on macroscopic P (E) and ε(E) loops. The film exhibits a soft ferroelectric response -low coercive field (12 kV/cm), high tunability (≃ 65%), and a large Rayleigh coefficient reflecting significant irreversible domain wall motion. We show that this response is governed by a landscape of weak oxygen vacancy pinning centers, whose effect is amplified by the high structural quality, full plastic relaxation, and pure c-oriented single-domain state of the film. These results provide a physically grounded picture of the ferroelectric response of MBE-grown BTO thin films, offering a solid basis for device optimization.
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BibTeX
@article{nadaud2026ferroelectric,
title = {{Ferroelectric properties of MBE grown BTO/STO:Nb layer}},
author = {Kevin Nadaud and Mohamed Bounab and Lucio Martinelli and Maurizio de Santis and Anne Lamirand and Romain Bachelet and Anna Ott and Guillaume Nataf and Mustapha Zaghrioui and Mohamed-Ramzi Ammar and Clarisse Furgeaud and Guillaume Saint-Girons},
journal = {ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsami.6c14883},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789057v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ferroelectric properties of MBE grown BTO/STO:Nb layer
AU - Kevin Nadaud
AU - Mohamed Bounab
AU - Lucio Martinelli
AU - Maurizio de Santis
AU - Anne Lamirand
AU - Romain Bachelet
AU - Anna Ott
AU - Guillaume Nataf
AU - Mustapha Zaghrioui
AU - Mohamed-Ramzi Ammar
AU - Clarisse Furgeaud
AU - Guillaume Saint-Girons
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
DO - 10.1021/acsami.6c14883
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05789057v1
AB - Barium titanate (BaTiO 3 , BTO) is an archetypal ferroelectric of broad technological relevance. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) offers compelling advantages for BTO thin film growth, such as superior crystalline quality and epitaxial integration with semiconductor substrates. However, the low oxygen partial pressures inherent to MBE environments, together with the challenges associated with precise stoichiometry control when using elemental sources, promote composition imbalances and oxygen 1 vacancy formation and make MBE-grown BTO films significantly less documented than their pulsed laser deposition (PLD) or sputtered counterparts. Here, we present a detailed study of the ferroelectric response of an epitaxial MBE-grown BTO thin film, combining synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction with temperature-and frequencydependent electrical characterizations, including the first Rayleigh analysis reported for an MBE-grown BTO layer, and only the third direct demonstration of ferroelectricity in such films based on macroscopic P (E) and ε(E) loops. The film exhibits a soft ferroelectric response -low coercive field (12 kV/cm), high tunability (≃ 65%), and a large Rayleigh coefficient reflecting significant irreversible domain wall motion. We show that this response is governed by a landscape of weak oxygen vacancy pinning centers, whose effect is amplified by the high structural quality, full plastic relaxation, and pure c-oriented single-domain state of the film. These results provide a physically grounded picture of the ferroelectric response of MBE-grown BTO thin films, offering a solid basis for device optimization.
SN - 1944-8244
SN - 1944-8252
ER -