Unveiling AC electronic properties at ferroelectric domain walls

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in understanding the AC electronic properties of ferroelectric domain walls, highlighting their dynamic responses and potential for next-generation nanoelectronics applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging AC behaviors of ferroelectric domain walls and discusses future directions for their application in AC nanoelectronics.

Findings

Unusual AC electronic properties observed at domain walls.

Dynamic responses of domain walls characterized at GHz frequencies.

Potential for domain walls in AC nanoelectronic devices.

Abstract

Ferroelectric domain walls exhibit a range of interesting electrical properties and are now widely recognized as functional two-dimensional systems for the development of next-generation nanoelectronics. A major achievement in the field was the development of a fundamental framework that explains the emergence of enhanced electronic direct-current (DC) conduction at the domain walls. In this Review, we discuss the much less explored behavior of ferroelectric domain walls under applied alternating-current (AC) voltages. We provide an overview of the recent advances in the nanoscale characterization that allow for resolving the dynamic responses of individual domain walls to AC fields. In addition, different examples are presented, showing the unusual AC electronic properties that arise at neutral and charged domain walls in the kilo- to gigahertz regime. We conclude with a discussion about the future direction of the field and novel application opportunities, expanding domain-wall based nanoelectronics into the realm of AC technologies.