Alexander K. Tagantsev

Bio: Alexander K. Tagantsev is an academic researcher from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ferroelectricity & Dielectric. The author has an hindex of 63, co-authored 327 publications receiving 18287 citations. Previous affiliations of Alexander K. Tagantsev include Ioffe Institute & University of California, Santa Barbara.

Room-temperature ferroelectricity in strained SrTiO3.

Abstract: Systems with a ferroelectric to paraelectric transition in the vicinity of room temperature are useful for devices. Adjusting the ferroelectric transition temperature (T(c)) is traditionally accomplished by chemical substitution-as in Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO(3), the material widely investigated for microwave devices in which the dielectric constant (epsilon(r)) at GHz frequencies is tuned by applying a quasi-static electric field. Heterogeneity associated with chemical substitution in such films, however, can broaden this phase transition by hundreds of degrees, which is detrimental to tunability and microwave device performance. An alternative way to adjust T(c) in ferroelectric films is strain. Here we show that epitaxial strain from a newly developed substrate can be harnessed to increase T(c) by hundreds of degrees and produce room-temperature ferroelectricity in strontium titanate, a material that is not normally ferroelectric at any temperature. This strain-induced enhancement in T(c) is the largest ever reported. Spatially resolved images of the local polarization state reveal a uniformity that far exceeds films tailored by chemical substitution. The high epsilon(r) at room temperature in these films (nearly 7,000 at 10 GHz) and its sharp dependence on electric field are promising for device applications.

Effect of Mechanical Boundary Conditions on Phase Diagrams of Epitaxial Ferroelectric Thin Films

Abstract: A phenomenological thermodynamic theory of ferroelectric thin films epitaxially grow on cubic substrates is developed using a new form of the thermodynamic potential. which corresponds to the ac tual mechanical boundary conditions of the problem, For single-domain BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 films, the "misfit-temperature" phase diagrams are constructed. It is found that the 2D clamping of the films, apart from a shift of the temperature of the ferroelectric transition, results in a change of its order. A change of the sequence of the phases and the appearance of phases forbidden in the bulk crystals are predicted. [S0031-9007(98)05421-0].

Ferroelectric materials for microwave tunable applications

Abstract: A review of the properties of ferroelectric materials that are relevant to microwave tunable devices is presented: we discuss the theory of dielectric response of tunable bulk materials and thin films; the experimental results from the literature and from own work are reviewed; the correspondence between the theoretical results and the measured properties of tunable materials is critically analyzed; nominally pure, real (defected), and composite bulk materials and thin films are addressed. In addition, techniques for characterization of tunable ferroelectrics and applications of these materials are briefly presented.

Flexoelectric Effect in Solids

Abstract: Flexoelectricity—the coupling between polarization and strain gradients—is a universal effect allowed by symmetry in all materials. Following its discovery several decades ago, studies of flexoelectricity in solids have been scarce due to the seemingly small magnitude of this effect in bulk samples. The development of nanoscale technologies, however, has renewed the interest in flexoelectricity, as the large strain gradients often present at the nanoscale can lead to strong flexoelectric effects. Here we review the fundamentals of the flexoelectric effect in solids, discuss its presence in many nanoscale systems, and look at potential applications of this electromechanical phenomenon. The review also emphasizes the many open questions and unresolved issues in this developing field.

Piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in crystalline dielectrics

Abstract: Note: Tagantsev, Ak Af Ioffe Engn Phys Inst,Leningrad 194021,UssrPart 2E4504Times Cited:19Cited References Count:16 Reference LC-ARTICLE-1986-010doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.34.5883 Record created on 2006-08-21, modified on 2017-11-27

Epitaxial BiFeO3 multiferroic thin film heterostructures.

Abstract: Enhancement of polarization and related properties in heteroepitaxially constrained thin films of the ferroelectromagnet, BiFeO3, is reported. Structure analysis indicates that the crystal structure of film is monoclinic in contrast to bulk, which is rhombohedral. The films display a room-temperature spontaneous polarization (50 to 60 microcoulombs per square centimeter) almost an order of magnitude higher than that of the bulk (6.1 microcoulombs per square centimeter). The observed enhancement is corroborated by first-principles calculations and found to originate from a high sensitivity of the polarization to small changes in lattice parameters. The films also exhibit enhanced thickness-dependent magnetism compared with the bulk. These enhanced and combined functional responses in thin film form present an opportunity to create and implement thin film devices that actively couple the magnetic and ferroelectric order parameters.

Physics and Applications of Bismuth Ferrite

Abstract: BiFeO3 is perhaps the only material that is both magnetic and a strong ferroelectric at room temperature. As a result, it has had an impact on the field of multiferroics that is comparable to that of yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) on superconductors, with hundreds of publications devoted to it in the past few years. In this Review, we try to summarize both the basic physics and unresolved aspects of BiFeO3 (which are still being discovered with several new phase transitions reported in the past few months) and device applications, which center on spintronics and memory devices that can be addressed both electrically and magnetically.

Multiferroics: progress and prospects in thin films.

Abstract: Multiferroic materials, which show simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, exhibit unusual physical properties — and in turn promise new device applications — as a result of the coupling between their dual order parameters. We review recent progress in the growth, characterization and understanding of thin-film multiferroics. The availability of high-quality thin-film multiferroics makes it easier to tailor their properties through epitaxial strain, atomic-level engineering of chemistry and interfacial coupling, and is a prerequisite for their incorporation into practical devices. We discuss novel device paradigms based on magnetoelectric coupling, and outline the key scientific challenges in the field.

Berry phase effects on electronic properties

Abstract: Ever since its discovery, the Berry phase has permeated through all branches of physics. Over the last three decades, it was gradually realized that the Berry phase of the electronic wave function can have a profound effect on material properties and is responsible for a spectrum of phenomena, such as ferroelectricity, orbital magnetism, various (quantum/anomalous/spin) Hall effects, and quantum charge pumping. This progress is summarized in a pedagogical manner in this review. We start with a brief summary of necessary background, followed by a detailed discussion of the Berry phase effect in a variety of solid state applications. A common thread of the review is the semiclassical formulation of electron dynamics, which is a versatile tool in the study of electron dynamics in the presence of electromagnetic fields and more general perturbations. Finally, we demonstrate a re-quantization method that converts a semiclassical theory to an effective quantum theory. It is clear that the Berry phase should be added as a basic ingredient to our understanding of basic material properties.

Electronic Structure: Basic Theory and Practical Methods

Abstract: Preface Acknowledgements Notation Part I. Overview and Background Topics: 1. Introduction 2. Overview 3. Theoretical background 4. Periodic solids and electron bands 5. Uniform electron gas and simple metals Part II. Density Functional Theory: 6. Density functional theory: foundations 7. The Kohn-Sham ansatz 8. Functionals for exchange and correlation 9. Solving the Kohn-Sham equations Part III. Important Preliminaries on Atoms: 10. Electronic structure of atoms 11. Pseudopotentials Part IV. Determination of Electronic Structure, The Three Basic Methods: 12. Plane waves and grids: basics 13. Plane waves and grids: full calculations 14. Localized orbitals: tight binding 15. Localized orbitals: full calculations 16. Augmented functions: APW, KKR, MTO 17. Augmented functions: linear methods Part V. Predicting Properties of Matter from Electronic Structure - Recent Developments: 18. Quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) 19. Response functions: photons, magnons ... 20. Excitation spectra and optical properties 21. Wannier functions 22. Polarization, localization and Berry's phases 23. Locality and linear scaling O (N) methods 24. Where to find more Appendixes References Index.