Large elasto-optic effect and reversible electrochromism in multiferroic BiFeO3

Abstract

The control of optical fields is usually achieved through the electro-optic or acousto-optic effect in single-crystal ferroelectric or polar compounds such as LiNbO3 or quartz. In recent years, tremendous progress has been made in ferroelectric oxide thin film technology - a field which is now a strong driving force in areas such as electronics, spintronics and photovoltaics. Here, we apply epitaxial strain engineering to tune the optical response of BiFeO3 thin films, and find a very large variation of the optical index with strain, corresponding to an effective elasto-optic coefficient larger than that of quartz. We observe a concomitant strain-driven variation in light absorption - reminiscent of piezochromism - which we show can be manipulated by an electric field. This constitutes an electrochromic effect that is reversible, remanent and not driven by defects. These findings broaden the potential of multiferroics towards photonics and thin film acousto-optic devices, and suggest exciting device opportunities arising from the coupling of ferroic, piezoelectric and optical responses.

Work supported by ERC Consolidator grant MINT (Contract No. 615759)

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• A multiferroic on the brink: uncovering the nuances of strain-induced transitions in BiFeO${}_3$
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• Super-R BiFeO${}_3$: Epitaxial stabilization of a low-symmetry phase with giant electromechanical response
• Electronic structure, magnetism, and optical properties of orthorhombic GdFeO3 from first principles
• Optical Writing of Magnetic Properties by Remanent Photostriction
• Strain-gradient-induced magnetic anisotropy in straight-stripe mixed-phase bismuth ferrites: An insight into flexomagnetic phenomenon
• Nanosecond Optically Induced Phase Transformation in Compressively Strained BiFeO3 on LaAlO3
• Strain-induced bent domains in ferroelectric nitrides
• An empirical approach to measuring interface energies in mixed-phase bismuth ferrite
• Understanding electronic excited states in BiFeO${}_3$ via ab initio calculations and symmetry analysis
• Ferroelectric tunnel junctions