Manipulating Ferroelectric Domains in Nanostructures Under Electron Beams

Abstract

Freestanding BaTiO3 nanodots exhibit domain structures characterized by distinct quadrants of ferroelastic 90° domains in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. These differ significantly from flux-closure domain patterns in the same systems imaged by piezoresponse force microscopy. Based upon a series of phase field simulations of BaTiO3 nanodots, we suggest that the TEM patterns result from a radial electric field arising from electron beam charging of the nanodot. For sufficiently large charging, this converts flux-closure domain patterns to quadrant patterns with radial net polarizations. Not only does this explain the puzzling patterns that have been observed in TEM studies of ferroelectric nanodots, but also suggests how to manipulate ferroelectric domain patterns via electron beams.

5 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (2)

• Unusual polarization patterns in flat epitaxial ferroelectric nanoparticles
• Depletion layer-induced size effects in ferroelectric thin films: A Ginzburg-Landau model study

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• Close-circuit domain quadruplets in BaTiO${}_3$ nanorods embedded in SrTiO${}_3$ film
• Faceting Oscillations in Nano-Ferroelectrics
• Hydrodynamics of Domain Walls in Multiferroics: Impact on Memory Devices
• Electron-Beam Driven Relaxation Oscillations in Ferroelectric Nanodisks
• Supra-Binary Ferroelectricity in a Nanowire
• Influence of space charge on domain patterns and susceptibility in a rhombohedral ferroelectric film