Related papers: Pseudo-proper ferroelectricity in thin films
Ferroelectric BiFeO3 thin films and artificial superlattices of (BiFeO3)m(SrTiO3)m (m~ 1 to 10 unit cells) were fabricated on (001)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser ablation. The variation of leakage current and macroscopic…
We study theoretically the influence of the underlying domain microstructure on the electromechanical properties of ferroelectrics. Our calculations are based on a continuum approach that incorporates the long-range elastic and…
We construct a comprehensive theory of the electrodynamic response of ferroelectric ultra-thin films containing periodic domain textures (PDT) with 180{\deg} polarization-oriented domains. The focal point of the theory is the…
Ferromagnetic electrodes of a lateral semiconductor-based spin-valve structure are designed to provide a maximum of spin-polarized injection current. A single-domain state in remanence is a prerequisite obtained by nanostructuring Permalloy…
Far-infrared and terahertz spectroscopy of ferroelectric soft and central modes in thin films on substrates is reviewed. In addition to classical displacive proper ferroelectrics, also incipient and relaxor ferroelectrics and multiferroics…
The behavior of ferroelectricity at the nanoscale is the focus of increasing research activity because of intense interest in the fundamental nature of spontaneous order in condensed-matter systems and because of the many practical…
We report on low-energy electron microscopy imaging of ferroelectric domains with submicron resolution. Periodic strips of 'up' and 'down'-polarized ferroelectric domains in bismuth ferrite -a room temperature multiferroic- serve as a model…
We report on the crystal structure and ferroelectric properties of epitaxial ZrO$_2$ films ranging from 7 to 42 nm thickness grown on La$_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$-buffered (110)-oriented SrTiO$_3$ substrate. By employing X-ray diffraction,…
Hafnium oxide (HfO2), particularly at low-dimensional scales, exhibits extensive promising applications in ultrahigh density devices like low-power logic and non-volatile memory devices due to its compatibility with current semiconductor…
Layered perovskites are a versatile class of ferroelectrics with their structural anisotropy reflected in unusual electrostatics that give rise to exceptional ferroelectric properties. These materials fall into four main families:…
The formation of a two-dimensional electron gas at oxide interfaces as a consequence of polar discontinuities has generated an enormous amount of activity due to the variety of interesting effects it gives rise to. Here we study under what…
Multiferroic BiFeO$_3$ (BFO) possesses a rich phase diagram that allows strain tuning of its properties in thin-film form. In particular, at large compressive strain, a supertetragonal (T) phase with giant polarization is stabilized over…
Ferroelectric and dielectric properties of polydomain (twinned) single-crystal Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 thin films are described with the aid of a nonlinear thermodynamic theory, which has been developed recently for epitaxial ferroelectric films…
To minimize their electrostatic energy, insulating ferroelectric films tend to break up into nanoscale ``Kittel'' domains of opposite polarization that are separated by uncharged 180$^\circ$ domain walls. Here, I report on self-consistent…
A Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire-type nonlinear phenomenological theory is presented, which enables the thermodynamic description of dense laminar polydomain states in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films. The theory explicitly takes into account…
The temperature-dependent polarization of SrTiO_3 thin films is investigated using confocal scanning optical microscopy. A homogeneous out-of-plane and inhomogeneous in-plane ferroelectric phase are identified from images of the linear…
Ferroelectricity (Valasek, J. Phys. Rev. 1921, 17, 475) - a spontaneous formation of electric polarisation - is a solid state phenomenon, usually, associated with ionic compounds or complex materials. Here we show that, atypically for…
The bistability of charge polarization in ferroelectric materials has long been the basis of ferroelectric devices. However, the ferroelectricity tends to be vanishing as the thickness of materials is reduced to a few nanometers or thinner…
Ferroelectricity is usually found in compound materials composed by different elements. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we reveal the first example of spontaneous electrical polarization and ferroelectricity in stable…
Ferroelectric thin films under epitaxial strain exhibit a variety of vortex-like topological polarization textures. To analyze them, we build on the Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire framework and extend the previously introduced soft-domain…