Electrostriction at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interface

We present a direct comparison between experimental data and ab initio calculations for the electrostrictive effect in the polar LaAlO3 layer grown on SrTiO3 substrates. From the structural data, a complete screening of the LaAlO3 dipole field is observed for film thicknesses between 6 and 20 uc. For thinner films, an expansion of the c axis of 2% matching the theoretical predictions for an electrostrictive effect is observed experimentally.