Feigl, L.Janolin, P. -E.Yamada, T.Iwanowska, M.Sandu, C. S.Setter, N.2015-05-292015-05-292015-05-29201510.1063/1.4906295https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/114717WOS:000348381000055The dependence of the formation of ferroelastic stripe domain patterns on the thermal history is investigated by detailed piezoresponse force microscopy and X-ray diffraction experiments after and during annealing of tensile strained tetragonal Pb(Ti,Zr)O-3 epitaxial thin films on DyScO3 substrates. In particular, the ferroelastic pattern is reversibly interchanged between a cross-hatched and a stripe domain pattern if the films are cooled at different rates after annealing above the formation temperature of a-domains. Different types of 180 degrees and non-180 degrees patterns can be created, depending on the thermal treatment. The changes in the 180 degrees domain structure and lattice parameters are attributed to a change of oxygen vacancy concentration, which results in a modification of the internal electric field and unit cell size, causing also a shift of T-C. Thermal treatment is done on rhombohedral La:BiFeO3 thin films as well. It is observed that also in these films, appropriate heat treatment modifies the domain pattern and films with a stripe domain pattern can be created, confirming the general validity of the developed model. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.text::journal::journal article::research article