Browsing by Author "Lubk, A."

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Electromechanical Coupling among Edge Dislocations, Domain Walls, and Nanodomains in BiFeO3 Revealed by Unit-Cell-Wise Strain and Polarization Maps
(2013-04-01)
Lubk, A.
;
Rossell, M. D.
;
Seidel, J.
;
Chu, Y. H.
;
Ramesh, R.
The performance of ferroelectric devices, for example, the ferroelectric field effect transistor, is reduced by the presence of crystal defects such as edge dislocations. For example, it is well-known that edge dislocations play a crucial role in the formation of ferroelectric dead-layers at interfaces and hence finite size effects in ferroelectric thin films. The detailed lattice structure including the relevant electromechanical coupling mechanisms in close vicinity of the edge dislocations is, however, not well-understood, which hampers device optimization. Here, we investigate edge dislocations in ferroelectric BiFeO3 by means of spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, a dedicated model-based structure analysis, and phase field simulations. Unit-cell-wise resolved strain and polarization profiles around edge dislocation reveal a wealth of material states including polymorph nanodomains and multiple domain walls characteristically pinned to the dislocation. We locally determine the piezoelectric tensor and identify piezoelectric coupling as the driving force for the observed phenomena, explaining, for example, the orientation of the domain wall with respect to the edge dislocation. Furthermore, an atomic model for the dislocation core is derived.
Evidence of Sharp and Diffuse Domain Walls in BiFeO3 by Means of Unit-Cell-Wise Strain and Polarization Maps Obtained with High Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
(2012-07-25)
Lubk, A.
;
Rossell, M. D.
;
Seidel, J.
;
He, Q.
;
Yang, S. Y.
Domain walls (DWs) substantially influence a large number of applications involving ferroelectric materials due to their limited mobility when shifted during polarization switching. The discovery of greatly enhanced conduction at BiFeO3 DWs has highlighted yet another role of DWs as a local material state with unique properties. However, the lack of precise information on the local atomic structure is still hampering microscopical understanding of DW properties. Here, we examine the atomic structure of BiFeO3 109 degrees DWs with pm precision by a combination of high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and a dedicated structural analysis. By measuring simultaneously local polarization and strain, we provide direct experimental proof for the straight DW structure predicted by ab initio calculations as well as the recently proposed theory of diffuse DWs, thus resolving a long-standing discrepancy between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted DW mobilities.