Related papers: Coherent Ferroelectric Switching by Atomic Force M…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to characterise several aspects of the surface degradation and reinforcement mechanisms of zirconia based ceramics, such as crack propagation, martensitic relief formation, grains pull-out and…
Binary ferroelectric nitrides are promising materials for information technologies and power electronics. However, polarization switching in these materials is highly unusual. From the structural perspective, polarization reversal is…
In this work we use a phenomenological theory of ferroelectric switching in BiFeO$_3$ thin films to uncover the mechanism of the two-step process that leads to the reversal of the weak magnetization of these materials. First, we introduce a…
The discovery of ferroelectricity in AlScN allowed the first clear observation of the effect in the wurtzite crystal structure, resulting in a material with a previously unprecedented combination of very large coercive fields (2-5 MV/cm)…
We explore the ferroic properties of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite solar cells by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM). In vertical and horizontal PFM imaging, we find domains of alternating polarization with a width of 90 nm which…
Monitoring structural changes in ferroelectric thin films during electric field-induced polarization switching is important for a full microscopic understanding of the coupled motion of charges, atoms and domain walls. We combine standard…
The thermodynamics and kinetics of tip-induced polarization switching in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy in the presence of surface charge defects is studied using the combination of analytical and numerical techniques. The signature of the…
Wurtzite-type Al$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$N solid solutions grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition are for the first time confirmed to be ferroelectric. The film with 230 nm thickness and x = 0.15 exhibits a coercive field of 5.5 MV/cm at a…
Domain wall dynamics in ferroic materials underpins functionality of data storage and information technology devices. Using localized electric field of a scanning probe microscopy tip, we experimentally demonstrate a surprisingly rich range…
We present Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM) measurements of Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) in a 50 nm thick permalloy film, tilted with respect to the direction of the external magnetic field. At small probe-sample distances the…
Recent research on CoPd alloys with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) has suggested that they might be useful as the pinning layer in CoFeB/MgO-based perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJ's) for various spintronic applications…
We demonstrate the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based optical force microscopy to map the optical near-fields with nanometer resolution, limited only by the AFM probe geometry. We map the electric field distributions of…
Ongoing advances in scanning probe microscopy techniques are continually expanding the possibilities for nanoscale characterization and correlated studies of functional materials. Here, we demonstrate how a recent extension of piezoresponse…
We investigate the scaling of the ground state energy and optimal domain patterns in thin ferromagnetic films with strong uniaxial anisotropy and the easy axis perpendicular to the film plane. Starting from the full three-dimensional…
Macroscopic properties of ferroelectric samples, including those in form of thin films, are, to large extent, influenced by their domain structure. In this paper the free energy is calculated for a plate-like sample composed of…
Pressure-induced polarization switching in ferroelectric thin films has emerged as a powerful method for domain patterning, allowing to create predefined domain patterns on free surfaces and under thin conductive top electrodes. However,…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a mechanical profiling technique that allows to image surfaces with atomic resolution. Recent progress in reducing the noise of this technique has led to a resolution level where previously undetectable…
An {\it atomistic} approach allowing an accurate and efficient treatment of depolarizing energy and field in {\it any} low-dimensional ferroelectric structure is developed. Application of this approach demonstrates the limits of the widely…
Interfacial exchange coupling between antiferromagnets (AFMs) and ferromagnets (FMs) crucially makes it possible to shift the FM hysteresis, known as exchange bias, and to switch AFM states. Two-dimensional magnets unlock opportunities to…
The switching characteristics of ferroelectrics and multiferroics are influenced by the interaction of topological defects with domain-walls. We report on the pinning of polarization due to antiphase boundaries in thin films of the…