Related papers: Simultaneous dynamic characterization of charge an…
Nanoscale ferroelectric topologies such as vortices, anti-vortices, bubble patterns etc. are stabilized in thin films by a delicate balance of both mechanical and electrical boundary conditions. A systematic understanding of the phase…
Weakly coupled ferroelectric/dielectric superlattice thin film heterostructures exhibit complex nanoscale polarization configurations that arise from a balance of competing electrostatic, elastic, and domain-wall contributions to the free…
The charged domain walls in ferroelectric materials exhibit intriguing physical properties. We examine herein the charged-domain-wall structures in Ca$_{3-x}$Sr$_x$Ti$_2$O$_7$ using transmission electron microscopy. When viewed along the…
We present a full analysis of the contrast mechanisms for the detection of ferroelectric domains on all faces of bulk single crystals using scanning force microscopy exemplified on hexagonally poled lithium niobate. The domain contrast can…
The contrast mechanism for ferroelectric domain imaging via piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is investigated. A novel analysis of PFM measurements is presented which takes into account the background caused by the experimental setup.…
A reduction of polarization in ultra-thin ferroelectric films appears to be fundamental to ferroelectricity at the nanoscale. For the model system PbTiO3 on SrTiO3, we report observation of the polarization vs. thickness relation. Distinct…
The structural evolution of epitaxial mono-oriented (i.e. with the c-axis perpendicular to the interface) ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2,Ti0.8)O3 thin film has been investigated, using high resolution, temperature dependent, X-ray diffraction. The…
We have shown that polarized neutron reflectometry can determine in a model-free way not only the mean magnetization of a ferromagnetic thin film at any point of a hysteresis cycle, but also the mean square dispersion of the magnetization…
Controlling the polarization switching in the ferroelectric nanocrystals, nanowires and nanodots has an inherent specificity related to the emergence of depolarization field that is associated with the spontaneous polarization. This field…
Nonlinear electrostatic interaction between the surface ions of electrochemical nature and ferroelectric dipoles gives rise to the coupled ferroionic states in nanoscale ferroelectrics. Here, we investigated the role of the surface ions…
We use femtosecond x-ray diffraction to study the structural response of charge and orbitally ordered Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$MnO$_3$ thin films across a phase transition induced by 800 nm laser pulses. By investigating the dynamics of both…
Electromechanical hysteresis loop measurements in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (Piezoresponse Force Spectroscopy) have emerged as a powerful technique for probing ferroelectric switching behavior on the nanoscale. Interpretation of PFS…
We study how the ferroelastic domain structure sets in in an epitaxial film of a material with second order proper ferroelastic transition. The domain structures considered are similar to either $a_{1}/a_{2}/a_{1}/a_{2}$ or $c/a/c/a$…
Going down to the limit of ultrathin films holds promise for a new generation of devices such as ferroelectric tunnel junctions or resistive memories. However, these length scales also make the devices sensitive to parasitic effects related…
Controlling magnetism using voltage is highly desired for applications, but remains challenging due to fundamental contradiction between polarity and magnetism. Here we propose a mechanism to manipulate magnetic domain walls in…
A large number of experimental studies suggest two-terminal resistive switching devices made of a dielectric thin film sandwiched by a pair of electrodes exhibit reversible multi-state switching behaviors; however coherent understanding of…
The influence of flexoelectric coupling on the internal structure of neutral domain walls in tetragonal phase of perovskite ferroelectrics is studied. The effect is shown to lower the symmetry of 180-degree walls which are oblique with…
Evolution of a stripe array of polarization domains triggered by the oxygen vacancy migration in an acceptor doped ferroelectric is investigated in a self-consistent manner. A comprehensive model based on the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire…
A first-principles-derived approach is developed to study the effects of uncompensated depolarizing electric fields on the properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O$_3$ ultrathin films for different mechanical boundary conditions. A rich variety of…
HfO$_2$- and ZrO$_2$-based ferroelectric thin films have emerged as promising candidates for the gate oxides of next generation electronic devices. Recent work has experimentally demonstrated that a tetragonal/orthorhombic (t/o-) phase…