Browsing by Author "Xie, Lin"

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Atomic-Scale Mechanisms of Defect-Induced Retention Failure in Ferroelectrics
(2017-06-01)
Li, Linze
;
Zhang, Yi
;
Xie, Lin
;
Jokisaar, Jacob R.
;
Beekman, Christianne
The ability to switch the ferroelectric polarization using an electric field makes ferroelectrics attractive for application in nanodevices such as high-density memories. One of the major challenges impeding this application, however, has been known as retention failure, which is a spontaneous process of polarization back-switching that can lead to data loss. This process is generally thought to be caused by the domain instability arising from interface boundary conditions and countered by defects, which can pin the domain wall and impede the back-switching. Here, using in situ transmission electron microscopy and atomic-scale scanning transmission electron microscopy, we show that the polarization retention failure can be induced by commonly observed nanoscale impurity defects in BiFeO3 thin films. The interaction between polarization and the defects can also lead to the stabilization of novel functional nanodomains with mixed-phase structures and head-to-head polarization configurations. Thus, defect engineering provides a new route for tuning properties of ferroelectric nanosystems.
Discovery of a magnetic conductive interface in PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 /SrTiO3 heterostructures
(2018-02-15)
Zhang, Yi
;
Xie, Lin
;
Kim, Jeongwoo
;
Stern, Alex
;
Wang, Hui
Emergent physical properties often arise at interfaces of complex oxide heterostructures due to the interplay between various degrees of freedom, especially those with polar dis-continuities. It is desirable to explore if these structures may generate pure and controllable spin currents, which are needed to attain unmatched performance and energy efficiency in the next-generation spintronic devices. Here we report the emergence of a spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas (SP-2DEG) at the interface of two insulators, SrTiO3 and PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3. This SP-2DEG is strongly localized at the interfacial Ti atoms, due to the interplay between Coulomb interaction and band bending, and can be tuned by the ferroelectric polarization. Our findings open a door for engineering ferroelectric/insulator interfaces to create tunable ferroic orders for magnetoelectric device applications and provide opportunities for designing multiferroic materials in heterostructures.
Giant Photoresponse in Quantized SrRuO3 Monolayer at Oxide Interfaces
(2018-03-01)
Liu, Heng-Jui
;
Wang, Jing-Ching
;
Cho, Deok-Yong
;
Ho, Kang-Ting
;
Lin, Jheng-Cyuan
The photoelectric effect in semiconductors is the main mechanism for most modern optoelectronic devices, in which the adequate bandgap plays the key role for acquiring high photoresponse. Among numerous material categories applied in this field, the complex oxides exhibit great possibilities because they present a wide distribution of band gaps for absorbing light with any wavelength. Their physical properties and lattice structures are always strongly coupled and sensitive to light illumination. Moreover, the confinement of dimensionality of the complex oxides in the heterostructures can provide more diversities in designing and modulating the band structures. On the basis of this perspective, we have chosen itinerary ferromagnetic SrRuO3 as the model material, and fabricated it in one-unit-cell thickness in order to open a small band gap for effective utilization of visible light. By inserting this SrRuO3 monolayer at the interface of the well-developed two-dimensional electron gas system (LaAlO3/SrTiO3), the resistance of the monolayer can be further revealed. In addition, a giant enhancement (>300%) of photoresponse under illumination of visible light with power density of 500 mW/cm(2) is also observed. Such can be ascribed to the further modulation of band structure of the SrRuO3 monolayer under the illumination, confirmed by cross-section scanning tunneling microscopy (XSTM). Therefore, this study demonstrates a simple route to design and explore the potential low dimensional oxide materials for future optoelectronic devices.