Inhomogeneous Electric Fields for Precise Control and Displacement of Polar Textures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how inhomogeneous electric fields can precisely and reversibly control polar textures and domain motion in ferroelectric materials, revealing asymmetric inertial responses and setting speed limits for potential nanoelectronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method using inhomogeneous electric fields for precise control of polar textures and explores domain dynamics, including inertial effects, with implications for nanoelectronics.

Findings

Controlled polarization textures via inhomogeneous fields

Asymmetric inertial response of domain walls

Speed limits for domain propagation

Abstract

Since the discovery of polar topological textures, achieving efficient control and manipulation of them has emerged as a significant challenge for their integration into nanoelectronic devices. In this study, we use second principles molecular dynamic simulations to demonstrate the precise and reversible control of domain arrangements stabilizing diverse polarization textures through the application of various inhomogeneous electric fields. Furthermore, we conduct an in-depth study of ferroelectric domain motion under such fields, revealing features consistent with creep dynamics and establishing an upper limit for their propagation speed. Notably, our findings show that domain walls exhibit an asymmetric inertial response, present at the onset of the dynamics but absent during their cessation. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of polar textures, paving the way for the development of high-speed, low-power nanoelectronic applications.