Ultrafast switching dynamics of the ferroelectric order in stacking-engineered ferroelectrics

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles simulations and machine learning to analyze ultrafast ferroelectric switching in stacking-engineered bilayers, revealing potential for high-speed, low-power memory devices.

Contribution

It provides the first large-scale atomistic analysis of domain wall dynamics in stacking-engineered ferroelectrics, predicting ultrafast switching capabilities.

Findings

Domain walls are approximately ten nanometers wide.

Switching field is reduced by two orders of magnitude due to domain wall motion.

Domain switching can occur on a picosecond timescale.

Abstract

The recently discovered ferroelectricity of van der Waals bilayers offers an unconventional route to improve the performance of devices. Key parameters such as switching field and speed depend on the static and dynamic properties of domain walls (DWs). Here we theoretically explore the properties of textures in stacking-engineered ferroelectrics from first principles. Employing a machine-learning potential model, we present results of large-scale atomistic simulations of stacking DWs and Moir\'e structure of boron nitride bilayers. We predict that the competition between the switching barrier of stable ferroelectric states and the in-plane lattice distortion leads to a DW width of the order of ten nanometers. DWs motion reduces the critical ferroelectric switching field of a monodomain by two orders of magnitude, while high domain-wall velocities allow domain switching on a picosecond-timescale. The superior performance compared to conventional ferroelectrics (or ferromagnets) may enable ultrafast and power-saving non-volatile memories. By twisting the bilayer into a stacking Moir\'e structure, the ferroelectric transforms into a super-paraelectric since DWs move under ultralow electric fields.