Large scale arrays of four-state vortex domains in BiFeO3 thin film

Exotic domain states, likevortex, offer the promise of superior properties and the potentialdisclination strain is a key factor for their formation inferroelectrics. Here we show that large scale arrays of four-statevortex domains can be obtained in rhombohedral BiFeO3thin filmsgrown on PrScO3 substrates bypulsed laser deposition. Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that eachvortex domain is comprised of fourferroelectric variants with two 180 °domain walls and two 109 °domain walls. Atomic mappings of the lattice distortions unit cell by unit cell reveal that the cores of thevortex might be charged. The strains are mainly concentrated ondomain walls. The formation mechanism of such large scale vortex-like states was discussed.

Source: Applied Physics Letters - November 15, 2016 Category: Physics Authors: W. Y. Wang, Y. L. Zhu, Y. L. Tang, Y. B. Xu, Y. Liu, S. Li, S. R. Zhang, Y. J. Wang and X. L. Ma Source Type: research