Finite size and intrinsic field effect on the polar-active properties of the ferroelectric-semiconductor heterostructures

TL;DR

This study uses a Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire model to analyze how finite size, intrinsic fields, and interfaces influence the polarization and electronic properties of ferroelectric-semiconductor heterostructures, especially during local polarization reversal.

Contribution

It provides analytical solutions for polarization and charge distributions considering size effects and intrinsic fields, advancing understanding of ferroelectric heterostructure behavior.

Findings

Intrinsic interface fields cause surface band bending and depletion layers.

Polarization reversal significantly alters interface layer charge and sign.

Analytical models can be extended to study polarization-driven electronic transport.

Abstract

Using Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire approach we calculated the equilibrium distributions of electric field, polarization and space charge in the ferroelectric-semiconductor heterostructures containing proper or incipient ferroelectric thin films. The role of the polarization gradient and intrinsic surface energy, interface dipoles and free charges on polarization dynamics are specifically explored. The intrinsic field effects, which originated at the ferroelectric-semiconductor interface, lead to the surface band bending and result into the formation of depletion space-charge layer near the semiconductor surface. During the local polarization reversal (caused by the inhomogeneous electric field induced by the nanosized tip of the Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) probe) the thickness and charge of the interface layer drastically changes, it particular the sign of the screening carriers is determined by the polarization direction. Obtained analytical solutions could be extended to analyze polarization-mediated electronic transport.