Jiarui Li, SLAC

Abstract

Quantum paraelectric to ferroelectric transition in strained SrTiO₃ membrane

Jiarui Li¹, Yonghun Lee^1,2, Yongseong Choi³, Jong-Woo Kim³, Paul Thompson⁴, Ruijuan Xu⁵, Kevin Crust^1,6, Anisha Singh¹, Phil Ryan³, Wei-Sheng Lee¹, Harold Hwang^1,2

Quantum materials, particularly in novel forms, hold immense potential for manipulating material properties and future quantum technological applications. By synthesizing quantum materials in the membrane form, extreme tensile strain can be achieved that are otherwise unattainable in bulk forms. In this work, we present a comprehensive study into the quantum paraelectric to ferroelectric transition induced by tensile strain in single crystal SrTiO₃ (STO) membranes. Our study showcases precise control over lattice parameters, revealing a reversible change in lattice constants over 1%. Temperature-strain phase diagram of emergent ferroelectric order has been constructed. Our study not only sheds light on the nature of the quantum paraelectric to ferroelectric transition in STO but also paves the way for a deeper comprehension of membrane-based quantum materials through multimodal synchrotron probes.

¹Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA

²Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

³Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA

⁴Oliver Lodge Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZE UK

⁵Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA

⁶Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA