In-plane quasi-single-domain BaTiO3 via interfacial symmetry engineering

J W Lee; K Eom; T R Paudel; B Wang; H Lu; H X Huyan; S Lindemann; S Ryu; H Lee; T H Kim; Y Yuan; J A Zorn; S Lei; W P Gao; T Tybell; V Gopalan; X Q Pan; A Gruverman; L Q Chen; E Y Tsymbal; C B Eom

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26660-7

In-plane quasi-single-domain BaTiO₃ via interfacial symmetry engineering

Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 22;12(1):6784. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26660-7.

Authors

J W Lee^#¹, K Eom^#¹, T R Paudel^{2

3}, B Wang⁴, H Lu², H X Huyan⁵, S Lindemann¹, S Ryu¹, H Lee¹, T H Kim¹, Y Yuan⁴, J A Zorn⁴, S Lei⁴, W P Gao⁵, T Tybell⁶, V Gopalan⁴, X Q Pan^{5

7

8}, A Gruverman², L Q Chen⁴, E Y Tsymbal², C B Eom⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
² Department of Physics and Astronomy & Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.
³ Department of Physics, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, 57701, USA.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
⁵ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
⁶ Department of Electronic Systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
⁷ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
⁸ Irvine Materials Research Institute, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
⁹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA. eom@engr.wisc.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The control of the in-plane domain evolution in ferroelectric thin films is not only critical to understanding ferroelectric phenomena but also to enabling functional device fabrication. However, in-plane polarized ferroelectric thin films typically exhibit complicated multi-domain states, not desirable for optoelectronic device performance. Here we report a strategy combining interfacial symmetry engineering and anisotropic strain to design single-domain, in-plane polarized ferroelectric BaTiO₃ thin films. Theoretical calculations predict the key role of the BaTiO₃/PrScO₃ [Formula: see text] substrate interfacial environment, where anisotropic strain, monoclinic distortions, and interfacial electrostatic potential stabilize a single-variant spontaneous polarization. A combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, ferroelectric hysteresis loop measurements, and second harmonic generation measurements directly reveals the stabilization of the in-plane quasi-single-domain polarization state. This work offers design principles for engineering in-plane domains of ferroelectric oxide thin films, which is a prerequisite for high performance optoelectronic devices.

Abstract

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