Ferroelectric domain wall pinning at a bicrystal grain boundary in bismuth ferrite

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2993327· OSTI ID:1030981

Rodriguez, Brian J ^[1]; Zhao, T. ^[2]; Chu, Y. H. ^[2]; Ramesh, R. ^[2]; Kalinin, Sergei V ^[1]

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1. ORNL
2. University of California, Berkeley

The ferroelectric polarization switching behavior at the 24 bicrystal grain boundary (GB) in a multiferroic BiFeO3 epitaxial film is studied using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The PFM amplitudes across positively and negatively poled GB regions suggest the presence of a frozen polarization component at the interface. The switching experiments demonstrate that the GB attracts the domain wall and acts as a pinning center. The PFM results are compared with conductive atomic force microscopy images, which suggest domain-wall pinning at the GB can be partially attributed to increased conductance at the GB.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1030981
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, Issue 14; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AMPLITUDES
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
BICRYSTALS
BISMUTH
FERRITE
MICROSCOPY
POLARIZATION