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Domain Wall Orientations in Ferroelectric Superlattices Probed with Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction
Marios Hadjimichael1, Edoardo Zatterin1,2, Stéphanie Fernandez-Peña3
1London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH London, United Kingdom.
Physical Review Letters
|February 6, 2018
Summary
Ferroelectric domain walls in lead titanate/strontium titanate superlattices reorient with temperature. Their alignment is influenced by sample features like defects and etched patterns.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Crystallography
Background:
- Ferroelectric superlattices exhibit complex domain structures.
- Understanding domain wall behavior is crucial for device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ferroelectric domain wall reorientation in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices.
- To correlate domain wall orientation with temperature and structural features.
Main Methods:
- Synchrotron X-ray diffraction with a nanofocused beam.
- Macroscopic and local imaging of ferroelectric domains.
- Mapping of lattice parameters and strain gradients.
Main Results:
- A temperature-dependent shift in preferential domain wall orientation from {100} to {110} planes was observed.
- Domain walls aligned with etched patterns and defect sites.
- Inhomogeneous strain and large strain gradients were found near defect sites.
Conclusions:
- Domain wall orientation is sensitive to temperature and local structural influences.
- Defects and surface modifications can guide ferroelectric domain wall alignment.
- Strain engineering plays a significant role in domain structure.
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