Fractal dimension and size scaling of domains in thin films of multiferroic BiFeO3

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Jan 18;100(2):027602. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.027602. Epub 2008 Jan 15.

Abstract

Domains in ferroelectric films are usually smooth, stripelike, very thin compared with magnetic ones, and satisfy the Landau-Lifshitz-Kittel scaling law (width proportional to square root of film thickness). However, the ferroelectric domains in very thin films of multiferroic BiFeO3 have irregular domain walls characterized by a roughness exponent 0.5-0.6 and in-plane fractal Hausdorff dimension H||=1.4+/-0.1, and the domain size scales with an exponent 0.59+/-0.08 rather than 1/2. The domains are significantly larger than those of other ferroelectrics of the same thickness, and closer in size to those of magnetic materials, which is consistent with a strong magnetoelectric coupling at the walls. A general model is proposed for ferroelectrics, ferroelastics or ferromagnetic domains which relates the fractal dimension of the walls to domain size scaling.