The manifestation of dipoles clustering in paraelectric phase of disordered ferroelectrics

Abstract

We predict the existence of Griffiths phase in the dielectrics with concentrational crossover between dipole glass (electric analog of spin glass) and ferroelectricity. The peculiar representatives of above substances are KTaO₃: Li, Nb, Na or relaxor ferroelectrics like Pb_1−xLa_xZr_0.65Ti_0.35O₃.

Since this phase exists above ferroelectric phase transition temperature (but below that temperature for ordered substance), we call it “para-glass phase”. We assert that the difference between paraelectric and para-glass phase of above substances is the existence of clusters (inherent to “ordinary” Griffiths phase in Ising magnets) of correlated dipoles. We show that randomness play a decisive role in Griffiths (para-glass) phase formation; this phase does not exist in a mean field approximation.

Key Words:

• dielectric
• dipole glass
• ferroelectric
• transition temperature