Double Hysteresis Loops in Proper Uniaxial Ferroelectrics

Abstract

In bulk proper uniaxial ferroelectrics, double antiferroelectriclike hysteresis loops are observed in the case of Sn2P2S6 crystal. The quantum-anharmonic-oscillator model is proposed for the description of such a polarization-switching process. This phenomenon is related to the three-well local potential of the spontaneous-polarization fluctuations at a distinctive negative ratio of coupling constants that correspond to intersite interaction in the given sublattice and interaction between two sublattices of the modeled Sn2P2S6 crystal structure. The data obtained can be used for the development of multilevel-cell-type memory technology.