TY - JOUR
KW - Nucleation
KW - Thin films
KW - Electrodes
KW - Probes
KW - Polarization
KW - Visualization
KW - Ferroelectricity
KW - Ferroelectric polarization
KW - Switching
KW - Switching mechanism
KW - Scanning probe microscopy
KW - Capacitors
KW - Scanning probes
KW - Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)
KW - Ferroics
KW - Domain structure
KW - Nucleation sites
KW - Interface charge
KW - Capacitor structures
KW - Capacitor switching
KW - Direct observation
KW - Domain evolution
KW - Domain formation
KW - Domain nucleation
KW - In-plane
KW - Lateral growth
KW - Planar electrode
KW - Surface screening
KW - Switching process
KW - Growth kinetics
KW - Electrolytic capacitors
AU - N Balke
AU - M Gajek
AU - A.K Tagantsev
AU - L.W Martin
AU - Y.-H Chu
AU - Ramamoorthy Ramesh
AU - S.V Kalinin
AB - Ferroelectric polarization switching in epitaxial (110) BiFeO3 films is studied using piezoresponse force microscopy of a model in-plane capacitor structure. The electrode orientation is chosen such that only two active domain variants exist. Studies of the kinetics of domain evolution allows clear visualization of nucleation sites, as well as forward and lateral growth stages of domain formation. It is found that the location of the reverse-domain nucleation is correlated with the direction of switching in a way that the polarization in the domains nucleated at an electrode is always directed away from it. The role of interface charge injection and surface screening charge on switching mechanisms is explored, and the nucleation is shown to be controllable by the bias history of the sample. Finally, the manipulation of domain nucleation through domain structure engineering is illustrated. These studies pave the way for the engineering and design of the ferroelectric device structures through control of individual steps of the switching process. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
BT - Advanced Functional Materials
DO - 10.1002/adfm.201000475
LA - eng
M1 - 20
N1 - cited By 63
N2 - Ferroelectric polarization switching in epitaxial (110) BiFeO3 films is studied using piezoresponse force microscopy of a model in-plane capacitor structure. The electrode orientation is chosen such that only two active domain variants exist. Studies of the kinetics of domain evolution allows clear visualization of nucleation sites, as well as forward and lateral growth stages of domain formation. It is found that the location of the reverse-domain nucleation is correlated with the direction of switching in a way that the polarization in the domains nucleated at an electrode is always directed away from it. The role of interface charge injection and surface screening charge on switching mechanisms is explored, and the nucleation is shown to be controllable by the bias history of the sample. Finally, the manipulation of domain nucleation through domain structure engineering is illustrated. These studies pave the way for the engineering and design of the ferroelectric device structures through control of individual steps of the switching process. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
PY - 2010
SP - 3466
EP - 3475
T2 - Advanced Functional Materials
TI - Direct observation of capacitor switching using planar electrodes
VL - 20
SN - 1616301X
ER -