Electric Field Writing of Ferroelectric Nano-Domains Near 71 degrees Domain Walls with Switchable Interfacial Conductivity

Abstract

Conducting ferroelectric domain walls attract a wide range of research interest due to their promising applications in nanoelectronics. In this study, we reveal an unexpected enhanced conductivity near the well-aligned 71 degrees nonpolar domain walls in BiFeO3. Such an interfacial conductivity is induced by the creation of up-polarized nano-domains near the 71 degrees domain walls, as revealed by the combination of the piezo-response force microscopy (PFM) and conducting atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) imaging techniques, as well as phase-field simulations. The upward polarized domains are suggested to lower the Schottky barrier at the interface between the tip and sample surface, and then give rise to the enhanced interfacial conductivity. The result provides a new strategy to tune the local conductance in ferroelectric materials and opens up new opportunities to design novel nanoelectronic devices.