Individual Barkhausen pulses of ferroelastic nanodomains

TL;DR

This study visualizes nanoscale Barkhausen pulses in ferroelectric BaTiO3, revealing unique domain interactions and weak lattice coupling, which could inform future nanoelectronic device development.

Contribution

It provides the first real-time nanoscale visualization of domain interactions and motion mechanisms in ferroelectric materials under electric bias.

Findings

Observation of non-contact domain interaction mechanisms.

Domains move through the lattice with weak Peierls-like potentials.

Control over domain wall kinetics may enable new nanoelectronic devices.

Abstract

Ferroelectric materials, upon electric field biasing, display polarization discontinuities known as Barkhausen jumps, a subclass of a more general phenomenon known as crackling noise. Herein, we follow at the nanoscale the motion of 90 degree needle domains induced by an electric field applied in the polarization direction of the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3, inside a transmission electron microscope. The nature of motion and periodicity of Barkhausen pulses leads to real-time visualization of distinctive interaction mechanisms of the domains with each other but without coming into contact, a mechanism that has not been observed before, or/and with the lattice where the domain walls appear to be moving through the dielectric medium relatively freely, experiencing weak Peierls-like potentials. Control over the kinetics of ferroelastic domain wall motion can lead to novel nanoelectronic devices pertinent to computing and storage applications.