In-plane quasi-single-domain BaTiO$_3$ via interfacial symmetry engineering
Abstract
The control of the in-plane domain evolution in ferroelectric thin films is not only critical to understanding ferroelectric phenomena but also to enabling functional device fabrication. However, in-plane polarized ferroelectric thin films typically exhibit complicated multi-domain states, not desirable for optoelectronic device performance. Here we report a strategy combining interfacial symmetry engineering and anisotropic strain to design single-domain, in-plane polarized ferroelectric BaTiO thin films. Theoretical calculations predict the key role of the BaTiO / PrScO (110) substrate interfacial environment, where anisotropic strain, monoclinic distortions, and interfacial electrostatic potential stabilize a single-variant spontaneous polarization. A combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, ferroelectric hysteresis loop measurements, and second harmonic generation measurements directly reveals the stabilization of the in-plane quasi-single-domain polarization state. This work offers design principles for engineering in-plane domains of ferroelectric oxide thin films, which is a prerequisite for high performance optoelectronic devices.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2109.08296,
title = {In-plane quasi-single-domain BaTiO$_3$ via interfacial symmetry engineering},
author = {J. W. Lee and K. Eom and T. R. Paudel and B. Wang and H. Lu and H. Huyan and S. Lindemann and S. Ryu and H. Lee and T. H. Kim and Y. Yuan and J. A. Zorn and S. Lei and W. Gao and T. Tybell and V. Gopalan and X. Pan and A. Gruverman and L. Q. Chen and E. Y. Tsymbal and C. B. Eom},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2109.08296},
year = {2022}
}