Conduction at domain walls in oxide multiferroics

Publication Type
Journal Article
Authors
DOI
10.1038/nmat2373
Abstract
Domain walls may play an important role in future electronic devices, given their small size as well as the fact that their location can be controlled. Here, we report the observation of room-temperature electronic conductivity at ferroelectric domain walls in the insulating multiferroic BiFeO 3. The origin and nature of the observed conductivity are probed using a combination of conductive atomic force microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and first-principles density functional computations. Our analyses indicate that the conductivity correlates with structurally driven changes in both the electrostatic potential and the local electronic structure, which shows a decrease in the bandgap at the domain wall. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential for device applications of such conducting nanoscale features.
Notes
cited By 800
Journal
Nature Materials
Volume
8
Year of Publication
2009
Number
3
Pagination
229-234
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
ISSN Number
14761122
Keywords
Research Areas
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