The dynamics of 180° domains in a ferroelectric in the process of polarization reversal and electron emission

A model is proposed to describe the evolution of 180° domains in a ferroelectric. Closed analytic expressions are obtained for the velocity of sideways motion of a 180° domain wall in an electric field and numerical calculations are performed. The connection between polarization reversal and electron emission is discussed.     

Distinct ferroelectric domain switching dynamics in epitaxial BiFeO3 (001) capacitors depending on the bias polarity

Understanding ferroelectric domain switching dynamics at the nanoscale is a great of importance in the viewpoints of fundamental physics and technological applications. Here, we investigated the intriguing polarity-dependent switching dynamics of ferroelectric domains in epitaxial BiFeO₃ (001) capacitors using transient switching current measurement and piezoresponse force microscopy. We observed the distinct behavior of nucleation and domain wall motion depending on the polarity of external electric bias. When applying the negative bias to the top electrode, the sideways domain wall motion initiated by only few nuclei was dominant to polarization switching. However, when applying the positive bias, most of domains started to grow from the pre-existed pinned domains and their growth velocity was much smaller. We suggest that the observed two distinct domain switching behavior is ascribed to the interfacial defect layer.     

Erasable Ferroelectric Domain Wall Diodes

The unipolar diode-like domain wall currents in LiNbO3 single-crystal nanodevices are not only attractive in terms of their applications in nonvolatile ferroelectric domain wall memory,but also useful in half-wave and full-wave rectifier systems,as well as detector,power protection,and steady voltage circuits.Unlike traditional diodes,where the rectification functionality arises from the contact between n-type and p-type conductors,which are unchanged after off-line production,ferroelectric domain wall diodes can be reversibly created,erased,positioned,and shaped,using electric fields.We demonstrate such functionality using ferroelectric mesa-like cells,formed at the surface of an insulating X-cut LiNbO₃ single crystal.Under the application of an in-plane electric field above a coercive field along the polar Z axis,the domain within the cell is reversed to be antiparallel to the unswitched bottom domain via the formation of a conducting domain wall.The wall current was rectified using two interfacial volatile domains in contact with two side Pt electrodes.Unlike the nonvolatile inner domain wall,the interfacial domain walls disappear to turn off the wall current path after the removal of the applied electric field,or under a negative applied voltage,due to the built-in interfacial imprint fields.These novel devices have the potential to facilitate the random definition of diode-like elements in modern large-scale integrated circuits.     

Narrow Waveguide Based on Ferroelectric Domain Wall

Ferroelectric materials are spontaneous symmetry breaking systems that are characterized by ordered electric polarizations.Similar to its ferromagnetic counterpart,a ferroelectric domain wall can be regarded as a soft interface separating two different ferroelectric domains.Here we show that two bound state excitations of electric polarization(polar wave),or the vibration and breathing modes,can be hosted and propagate within the ferroelectric domain wall.In particular,the vibration polar wave has zero frequency gap,thus is constricted deeply inside ferroelectric domain wall,and can even propagate in the presence of local pinnings.The ferroelectric domain wall waveguide as demonstrated here offers a new paradigm in developing ferroelectric information processing units.     

Memory against temperature or electric field sweeps in potassium niobo-tantalate crystals

Aging, memories after temperature sweeps (double ramp and double jump) and memories after electric field sweeps (double ramp and double jump) were studied as a function of frequency. The experiments were performed at low temperatures in the ferroelectric phase of two potassium niobo-tantalate crystals K Ta_1-xNb_xO₃ with the niobium concentration x close to 0.02. Five complex quantities are defined, which respectively characterize these five phenomena. The main feature is that isothermal aging and memories after temperature sweeps have exactly the same frequency dependence while after electric field sweeps the frequency dependence is clearly different. Additionally, the role of the characteristics of the sweeps (amplitudes, rates of changes, durations) on these memories were measured. The observed behaviours are discussed in term of a model which attributes the time dependent effects to growth and reconformation of ferroelectric domains and takes into account that the domain wall motion is hindered by pinning sites. The difference in the frequency dependences against the nature of the swept parameters shows that the distribution of the reconformation time is sensitive to the biasing electric field. Received 28 May 2001 and Received in final form 10 October 2001     

Domain wall creep in epitaxial ferroelectric Pb(Zr(0.2)Ti(0.08)O(3) thin films

Ferroelectric switching and nanoscale domain dynamics were investigated using atomic force microscopy on monocrystalline Pb(Zr(0.2)Ti(0.8))O(3) thin films. Measurements of domain size versus writing time reveal a two-step domain growth mechanism, in which initial nucleation is followed by radial domain wall motion perpendicular to the polarization direction. The electric field dependence of the domain wall velocity demonstrates that domain wall motion in ferroelectric thin films is a creep process, with the critical exponent mu close to 1. The dimensionality of the films suggests that disorder is at the origin of the observed creep behavior.     

Effect of magnetic field on the chaos appearance fields in a triglycine sulfate crystal

Effects of a constant magnetic field, the amplitude of an alternating electric field, and the temperature on the values of fields corresponding to the appearance and disappearance of chaotic oscillations were studied in the ferroelectric phase of a triglycine sulfate crystal. A mechanism of the appearance of a magnetic moment, induced by the repolarization current, during the lateral motion of a 180° domain wall is considered.     

Dynamics of domain-wall motion in ferroelectric liquid crystals in an electric field

The director reorientation in smectic liquid crystals with ferroelectric properties has been considered in the case where the interaction of liquid-crystal molecules with the surface leads to a partial unwinding of the helical structure of the liquid crystal and the reorientation occurs as a result of the domain-wall motion. The dependences of the velocity of domain-wall motion on the electric field strength, electric field variation frequency, boundary conditions, spontaneous polarization, and viscosity of the liquid crystal have been determined. It has been demonstrated that an increase in the electric field variation frequency or the polar part of the anchoring energy and the spontaneous polarization of the liquid crystal at a constant field frequency results in an increase of the velocity of domain-wall motion. As a consequence, the time of the electro-optic response of the liquid crystal in weak electric fields (from 0.4 to 2.0 V/μm) decreases by a factor of more than three.     

Ferroelectric domain breakdown

We observe a stringlike domain penetration from a ferroelectric surface deep into the crystal bulk induced by a high voltage atomic force microscope tip. The domains, which resemble channels of an electrical breakdown, nucleate under an electric field of around 10(7) V/cm at the ferroelectric surface, and grow throughout the crystal bulk where the external electric field is practically zero. A theory explaining the shape of the formed domains is presented. It shows that the driving force for the domain breakdown is the decrease of the total free energy of the system with increasing domain length.     

Nanosecond domain wall dynamics in ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O(3) thin films

Domain wall motion during polarization switching in ferroelectric thin films is fundamentally important and poses challenges for both experiments and modeling. We have visualized the switching of a Pb(Zr, Ti)O(3) capacitor using time-resolved x-ray microdiffraction. The structural signatures of switching include a reversal in the sign of the piezoelectric coefficient and a change in the intensity of x-ray reflections. The propagation of polarization domain walls is highly reproducible from cycle to cycle of the electric field. Domain wall velocities of 40 m s(-1) are consistent with the results of other methods, but are far less than saturation values expected at high electric fields.     

The role of the spatial distribution of local polarization perturbations in the posistor effect onset

The electrical resistance of polycrystalline ferroelectric semiconductors is defined by the potential barriers due to the existence of local charged surface states at crystallite boundaries. The barrier screening depends on the state of the ferroelectric system and is maximal during spontaneous-polarization switching. It is shown in this paper that the local perturbation of the ferroelectric system, resulting from the repolarization and appearing as a domain wall between the regions with different polarization directions, has a zigzag configuration. The electric field in the vicinity of the zigzag domain wall is stabilized and coincides with the coercive field, which provides low potential barriers in the ferroelectric phase compared with the paraelectric phase. The repolarization processes become inefficient in the potential barrier screening at the transition from the ferroelectric to the paraelectric phase. As a result, a sharp increase in the electrical resistance is observed at the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition, called the posistor effect.     

铁电相变中极化与介电性的随机场效应

基于随机场Ising模型描述的有序无序相变中偶极子在电场作用下的反转运动, 研究了有序无序相变过程中电场与极化强度的关系. 认为tanh(x) 的函数关系与位移型二阶铁电相变极化强度随电场变化的实验结果完全相同. 由此得出基本结论: 偶极子的集体转向造成了极化强度的增大并等同于内电场的增加. 通过区分光学模和偶极子对介电隔离率的贡献, 考虑偶极子极化对介电常数复数形式的频率色散关系, 发现从高斯分布的居里温度可以导出二阶铁电相变过程中介电常数与温度和频率的色散关系. 关键词： 铁电相变 极化强度 随机场     

Direct observation of ferroelectric domain switching in varying electric field regimes using in situ TEM

In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques can potentially fill in gaps in the current understanding interfacial phenomena in complex oxides. Select multiferroic oxide materials, such as BiFeO(3) (BFO), exhibit ferroelectric and magnetic order, and the two order parameters are coupled through a quantum-mechanical exchange interaction. The magneto-electric coupling in BFO allows control of the ferroelectric and magnetic domain structures via applied electric fields. Because of these unique properties, BFO and other magneto-electric multiferroics constitute a promising class of materials for incorporation into devices such as high-density ferroelectric and magnetoresistive memories, spin valves, and magnetic field sensors. The magneto-electric coupling in BFO is mediated by volatile ferroelastically switched domains that make it difficult to incorporate this material into devices. To facilitate device integration, an understanding of the microstructural factors that affect ferroelastic relaxation and ferroelectric domain switching must be developed. In this article, a method of viewing ferroelectric (and ferroelastic) domain dynamics using in situ biasing in TEM is presented. The evolution of ferroelastically switched ferroelectric domains in BFO thin films during many switching cycles is investigated. Evidence of partial domain nucleation, propagation, and switching even at applied electric fields below the estimated coercive field is revealed. Our observations indicate that the occurrence of ferroelastic relaxation in switched domains and the stability of these domains is influenced the applied field as well as the BFO microstructure. These biasing experiments provide a real time view of the complex dynamics of domain switching and complement scanning probe techniques. Quantitative information about domain switching under bias in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials can be extracted from in situ TEM to provide a predictive tool for future device development.     

Investigation of domain structure of TGS single crystal after a transverse electric field by piezoresponse force microscopy

An investigation of the influence of electric field transverse to the ferroelectric axis b_HOP and parallel to c_HOP axis of triglycine sulfate (TGS) single crystal on ferroelectric domain structure was performed by piezoresponse force microscopy. To check if the applied electric field changed the dielectric properties and ferroelectric domain structure the hysteresis loop measurements were carried out as well as observations of domain structure by the liquid crystal technique. The investigation revealed existence of blocked domains in the crystal modified by the electric field TGS.     

Effect of mechanical force on domain switching in BiFeO_3 ultrathin films

Ferroelectric polarization can be switched by an external applied electric field and may also be reversed by a mechanical force via flexoelectricity from the strain gradient.In this study,we report the mechanical writing of an epitaxial BiFeO3(BFO)thin film and the combined action of an applied mechanical force and electric field on domain switching,where the mechanical force and electric field are applied using the tip of atomic force microscopy.When the applied force exceeds the threshold value,the upward polarization of the BFO thin film can be reversed by pure mechanical force via flexoelectricity;when an electric field is simultaneously applied,the mechanical force can reduce the coercive electric field because both the piezoelectricity from the homogeneous strain and the flexoelectricity from strain gradient contribute to the internal electric field in the film.The mechanically switched domains exhibit a slightly lower surface potential when compared with that exhibited by the electrically switched domains due to no charge injection in the mechanical method.Furthermore,both the mechanically and electrically switched domains exhibit a tunneling electroresistance in the BFO ferroelectric tunnel junction.     

Nonlinear constitutive behavior of ferroelectric materials

The ferroelectric specimen is considered as an aggregation of many randomly oriented domains. According to this mechanism, a multi-domain mechanical model is developed in this paper. Each domain is represented by one element. The applied stress and electric field are taken to be the stress and electric field in the formula of the driving force of domain switching for each element in the specimen. It means that the macroscopic switching criterion is used for calculating the volume fraction of domain switching for each element. By using the hardening relation between the driving force of domain switching and the volume fraction of domain switching calibrated, the volume fraction of domain switching for each element is calculated. Substituting the stress and electric field and the volume fraction of domain switching into the constitutive equation of ferroelectric material, one can easily get the strain and electric displacement for each element. The macroscopic behavior of the ferroelectric specimen is then directly calculated by volume averaging. Meanwhile, the nonlinear finite element analysis for the ferroelectric specimen is carried out. In the finite element simulation, the volume fraction of domain switching for each element is calculated by using the same method mentioned above. The interaction between different elements is taken into account in the finite element simulation and the local stress and electric field for each element is obtained. The macroscopic behavior of the specimen is then calculated by volume averaging. The computation results involve the electric butterfly shaped curves of axial strain versus the axial electric field and the hysteresis loops of electric displacement versus the electric field for ferroelectric specimens under the uniaxial coupled stress and electric field loading. The present theoretical prediction agrees reasonably with the experimental results. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10572138)     

Effect of a weak external electric field on the kinetics of the ordering of ferroelectrics upon first-order phase transitions

The kinetics of the formation and growth of 180° domains in a weak quasi-stationary external electric field has been considered in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg–Landau model using the example of sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) crystals that undergo a first-order ferroelectric phase transition of the order–disorder type. The influence of the rate and temperature of quenching, as well as the strength of an external electric field, on the subsequent evolution of the system toward the thermodynamic equilibrium state has been analyzed. It has been shown that, by varying a weak external electric field applied to the ferroelectric crystal after quenching, it is possible to obtain both single-domain and multi-domain ordered structures. It has been established that the formation of nonequilibrium (“virtual”) multi-domain structures of the asymmetric type is possible for particular strengths of the electric field applied to the ferroelectric after quenching. A similar effect can be achieved by varying the depth of quenching of the sample. It has been found that, if the size of the order parameter inhomogeneities formed at the stage of quenching does not exceed a critical value, they can be reoriented partially or completely into domains of opposite sign. For this purpose, the relaxation after quenching should be performed in an external electric field of the appropriate sign.     

Nanodynamics of ferroelectric ultrathin films

The nanodynamics of ferroelectric ultrathin films made of PbTi(0.6)Zr(0.4)TiO(3) alloy is explored via the use of a first-principles-based technique. Our atomistic simulations predict that the nanostripe domains which constitute the ground state of ferroelectric ultrathin films under most electric boundary conditions oscillate under a driving ac field. Furthermore, we find that the atomically thin wall, or nanowall, that separates the nanodomains with different polarization directions behaves as an elastic object and has a mass associated with it. The nanowall mass is size-dependent and gives rise to a unique size-driven transition from resonance to relaxational dynamics in ultrathin films. A general theory of nanodynamics in such films is developed and used to explain all computational findings. In addition, we find an unusual dynamical coupling between nanodomains and mechanical deformations that could potentially be used in ultrasensitive electromechanical nanosensors.     

Comparison of ferroelectric domain delineation in triglycine sulphate by the etching technique and the pyroelectric laser technique. Application to the study of polarization reversal

It is shown that the well-known etch technique and the newly developed pyroelectric laser technique can reveal similar domains. However the latter technique is so fast that it appears as the best one to study problems such as nucleation and domain wall motion.

In the case of an alanine doped TGS crystal it is shown that domain wall motions started at a given nucleation field E₁ stop at some characteristic boundary lines in the crystal. To carry on the polarization reversal, we have to increase the electric field up to some higher value E₂ which is the minimum value of the nucleation field in the next area. Then a new domain is growing very rapidly by wall motions until the characteristic boundary lines of this area are reached. These lines are probably dislocation lines. It is shown that a direct side observation of domains is possible. Conical and cylindrical domains are clearly visible.     

Effect of an electric field on the fracture of ferroelectric ceramic materials

This paper reports on the experimental results of measuring the time elapsed between the loading and the fracture of ferroelectric ceramic specimens under the action of a static electric field and mechanical stresses that differ in magnitude. The dependence of the durability of the specimens on the applied stress is determined for electric fields in the range from 0 to 5 MV/m. It is shown that, in the time range 1–10³ s, the durability of the ferroelectric ceramic material substantially increases in weak electric fields (the hardening effect) and significantly decreases in strong electric fields. The results obtained can be explained in terms of the fact that the load and the electric field affect the same defects (fracture nuclei) in the ferroelectric ceramics.