Multidomain switching in the ferroelectric nanodots

TL;DR

This paper uses 3D simulations to explore how ferroelectric nanodots switch polarization states, revealing the formation of various domain structures and proposing a multibit switching method controlled by temperature and electric field.

Contribution

It demonstrates the formation of multiple polarization domain structures in ferroelectric nanodots and introduces a multibit switching protocol based on temperature and field control.

Findings

Multiple domain structures can form during polarization switching.

Multibit switching between domain states is achievable.

Domain structures depend on temperature and electric field.

Abstract

Controlling the polarization switching in the ferroelectric nanocrystals, nanowires and nanodots has an inherent specificity related to the emergence of depolarization field that is associated with the spontaneous polarization. This field splits the finite-size ferroelectric sample into polarization domains. Here, based on 3D numerical simulations, we study the formation of 180$^{\circ }$ polarization domains in a nanoplatelet, made of uniaxial ferroelectric material, and show that in addition to the polarized monodomain state, the multidomain structures, notably of stripe and cylindrical shapes, can arise and compete during the switching process. The multibit switching protocol between these configurations may be realized by temperature and field variations.