Ferroelectric domain-wall logic units

Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Jing Ma ◽  
Houbing Huang ◽  
Ji Ma ◽  
Hasnain Jafri ◽  
...  

Abstract The electronic conductivities of ferroelectric domain walls have been extensively explored over the past decade for potential nanoelectronic applications. However, the realization of logic devices based on ferroelectric domain walls requires reliable and flexible control of the domain-wall configuration and conduction path. Here, we demonstrate electric-field-controlled stable and repeatable on-and-off switching of conductive domain walls within topologically confined vertex domains naturally formed in self-assembled ferroelectric nano-islands. Using a combination of piezoresponse force microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy, and phase-field simulations, we show that on-off switching is accomplished through reversible transformations between charged and neutral domain walls via electric-field-controlled domain-wall reconfiguration. By analogy to logic processing, we propose programmable logic gates (such as NOT, OR, AND and their derivatives) and logic circuits (such as fan-out) based on reconfigurable conductive domain walls. Our work provides a potentially viable platform for programmable all-electric logic based on a ferroelectric domain-wall network with low energy consumption.

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursic ◽  
Bencan ◽  
Prah ◽  
Dragomir ◽  
Malic

A complex domain structure with variations in the morphology is observed at ambient temperature in monoclinic Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3. Using electron microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy, it is possible to reveal micrometre-sized wedge, lamellar-like, and irregularly shaped domains. By increasing the temperature, the domain structure persists up to 80 °C, and then starts to disappear at around 100 °C due to the proximity of the ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition, in agreement with macroscopic dielectric measurements. In order to understand to what degree domain switching can occur in the ceramic, the mobility of the domain walls was studied at ambient temperature. The in situ poling experiment performed using piezoresponse force microscopy resulted in an almost perfectly poled area, providing evidence that all types of domains can be easily switched. By poling half an area with 20 V and the other half with −20 V, two domains separated by a straight domain wall were created, indicating that Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 is a promising material for domain-wall engineering.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
gregory salamo ◽  
Mohammad Zamani-Alavijeh ◽  
Timothy Morgan ◽  
Andrian Kuchuk

Abstract Piezoresponse force microscopy is used to study the velocity of the polarization domain wall in ultrathin ferroelectric barium titanate films grown on strontium titanate substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The electric field due to the cone of the atomic force microscope tip is proposed as the dominant electric field of the tip in thin films for domain expansion at lateral distances greater than about one tip diameter away from the tip. The velocity of the domain wall under the applied electric field by the tip in barium titanate for thin films (less than 40 nm) followed an expanding process given by Merz’s law. The material constants in a fit of the data to Merz’s law for very thin films are reported as about 4.2 KV/cm for activation field, Ea, and 0.05 nm/s for limiting velocity, v∞. These material constants showed a dependence on the level of strain in the films but no fundamental dependence on thickness.


2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (13) ◽  
pp. 132902 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Guyonnet ◽  
H. Béa ◽  
F. Guy ◽  
S. Gariglio ◽  
S. Fusil ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 2356-2360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilgelmina Stepkova ◽  
Jiří Hlinka

The phase-field simulations of ferroelectric Bloch domain walls in BaTiO3–SrTiO3 crystalline superlattices performed in this study suggest that a paraelectric layer with a thickness comparable to the thickness of the domain wall itself can act as an efficient pinning layer. At the same time, such a layer facilitates the possibility to switch domain wall helicity by an external electric field or even to completely change the characteristic structure of a ferroelectric Bloch wall passing through it. Thus, ferroelectric Bloch domain walls are shown to be ideal nanoscale objects with switchable properties. The reported results hint towards the possibility to exploit ferroelectric domain wall interaction with simple nanoscale devices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuyu Xiao ◽  
Yaming Jin ◽  
Xiaomei Lu ◽  
Sang-Wook Cheong ◽  
Jiangyu Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Ferroelectric domain walls differ from domains not only in their crystalline and discrete symmetry, but also in their electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties. Although domain walls provide a degree of freedom to regulate the physical properties at the nanoscale, the relatively lower controllability prevents their practical applications in nano-devices. In this work, with the advantages of 3D domain configuration detection based on piezoresponse force microscopy, we find that the mobility of three types of domain walls (tail-to-tail, head-to-tail, head-to-head) in (001) BiFeO3 films varies with the applied electrical field. Under low voltages, head-to-tail domain walls are more mobile than other domain walls, while, under high voltages, tail-to-tail domain walls become rather active and possess relatively long average lengths. This is due to the high nucleation energy and relatively low growth energy for charged domain walls. Finally, we demonstrate the manipulation of domain walls through successive electric writings, resulting in well-aligned conduction paths as designed, paving the way for their application in advanced spintronic, memory and communication nano-devices.


2010 ◽  
Vol 97 (11) ◽  
pp. 112907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moonkyu Park ◽  
Seungbum Hong ◽  
Jeffrey A. Klug ◽  
Michael J. Bedzyk ◽  
Orlando Auciello ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (3(1)) ◽  
pp. 2546-2550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoon H Jeong ◽  
S.-H. Lee ◽  
E. J. Lee ◽  
I. K. Yang ◽  
M. H. Jung ◽  
...  

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