ABSTRACTA thermodynamic model is employed to analyze the effect of internal stresses on the pyroelectric response of ferroelectric thin films. The pyroelectric coefficient as a function of the misfit strain is calculated for (001) Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 epitaxial thin films by taking into account formation of misfit dislocations that relieve epitaxial stresses during deposition. It is shown that the pyroelectric response is highly dependent on the misfit strain in epitaxial thin films. Enhanced pyroelectric coefficient can be achieved by adjusting the misfit strain via substrate selection and film thickness especially in the vicinity of the ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transformation.
Enhanced pyroelectric response at morphotropic and field-induced phase transitions in ferroelectric hafnium oxide thin films