Dietrich Hesse

NANO-phase SBT-family ferroelectric memories

Abstract Recent studies have produced 0.1 × 0.1 μm ferroelectric cells in both bismuth titanate and strontium bismuth tantalate, thus taking thin-film ferroelectric memories into the regime of nanoscale (100 nm or less) devices. A review is presented of deposition, switching, and leakage current in these devices, which are small enough to permit 1 Gbit memories on a standard Si chip.

Reversible electrical switching of spin polarization in multiferroic tunnel junctions

Spin-polarized transport in ferromagnetic tunnel junctions, characterized by tunnel magnetoresistance, has already been proven to have great potential for application in the field of spintronics and in magnetic random access memories. Until recently, in such a junction the insulating barrier played only a passive role, namely to facilitate electron tunnelling between the ferromagnetic electrodes. However, new possibilities emerged when ferroelectric materials were used for the insulating barrier, as these possess a permanent dielectric polarization switchable between two stable states. Adding to the two different magnetization alignments of the electrode, four non-volatile states are therefore possible in such multiferroic tunnel junctions. Here, we show that owing to the coupling between magnetization and ferroelectric polarization at the interface between the electrode and barrier of a multiferroic tunnel junction, the spin polarization of the tunnelling electrons can be reversibly and remanently inverted by switching the ferroelectric polarization of the barrier. Selecting the spin direction of the tunnelling electrons by short electric pulses in the nanosecond range rather than by an applied magnetic field enables new possibilities for spin control in spintronic devices.

Individually addressable epitaxial ferroelectric nanocapacitor arrays with near Tb inch −2 density

Ferroelectric materials have emerged in recent years as an alternative to magnetic and dielectric materials for nonvolatile data-storage applications. Lithography is widely used to reduce the size of data-storage elements in ultrahigh-density memory devices. However, ferroelectric materials tend to be oxides with complex structures that are easily damaged by existing lithographic techniques, so an alternative approach is needed to fabricate ultrahigh-density ferroelectric memories. Here we report a high-temperature deposition process that can fabricate arrays of individually addressable metal/ferroelectric/metal nanocapacitors with a density of 176 Gb inch(-2). The use of an ultrathin anodic alumina membrane as a lift-off mask makes it possible to deposit the memory elements at temperatures as high as 650 degrees C, which results in excellent ferroelectric properties.

Direct Observation of Continuous Electric Dipole Rotation in Flux-Closure Domains in Ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3

Domains can be stabilized in a thin ferroelectric material through the continuous rotation of the dipoles. Low-dimensional ferroelectric structures are a promising basis for the next generation of ultrahigh-density nonvolatile memory devices. Depolarization fields, created by incompletely compensated charges at the surfaces and interfaces, depress the polarization of such structures. Theory suggests that under conditions of uncompensated surface charges, local dipoles can organize in flux-closure structures in thin films and vortex structures in nano-sized ferroelectrics, reducing depolarization fields. However, the continuous rotation of the dipoles required in vortex structures and the behavior of unit cell dipoles in flux-closure structures have never been experimentally established. By aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, we obtained experimental evidence for continuous rotation of the dipoles closing the flux of 180° domains in a ferroelectric perovskite thin film.

Direct imaging of the spatial and energy distribution of nucleation centres in ferroelectric materials

Macroscopic ferroelectric polarization switching, similar to other first-order phase transitions, is controlled by nucleation centres. Despite 50 years of extensive theoretical and experimental effort, the microstructural origins of the Landauer paradox, that is, the experimentally observed low values of coercive fields in ferroelectrics corresponding to implausibly large nucleation activation energies, are still a mystery. Here, we develop an approach to visualize the nucleation centres controlling polarization switching processes with nanometre resolution, determine their spatial and energy distribution and correlate them to local microstructure. The random-bond and random-field components of the disorder potential are extracted from positive and negative nucleation biases. Observation of enhanced nucleation activity at the 90 composite function domain wall boundaries and intersections combined with phase-field modelling identifies them as a class of nucleation centres that control switching in structural-defect-free materials.

Role of domain walls in the abnormal photovoltaic effect in BiFeO 3

Recently, the anomalous photovoltaic (PV) effect in BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films, which resulted in open circuit voltages (Voc) considerably larger than the band gap of the material, has generated a revival of the entire field of photoferroelectrics. Here, via temperature-dependent PV studies, we prove that the bulk photovoltaic (BPV) effect, which has been studied in the past for many non-centrosymmetric materials, is at the origin of the anomalous PV effect in BFO films. Moreover, we show that irrespective of the measurement geometry, Voc as high as 50 V can be achieved by controlling the conductivity of domain walls (DW). We also show that photoconductivity of the DW is markedly higher than in the bulk of BFO.

Polarization imprint and size effects in mesoscopic ferroelectric structures

Piezoresponse scanning force microscopy measurements performed on lead zirconate titanate mesoscopic structures revealed a negative shift of the initial piezoelectric hysteresis loop. The shift is dependent on the size of the structure and is most probably due to the pinning of ferroelectric domains at the free lateral surface and ferroelectric–electrode interface. Considering a simple model, the thickness of the pinned domain layers is found to be about 15 and 70 nm at the ferroelectric–electrode interface and lateral free surface, respectively.

Patterning and switching of nanosize ferroelectric memory cells

A fundamental limitation on the recent development of nonvolatile ferroelectric memories in 64 Mbit–4 Gbit densities has been the ability to scale ferroelectric capacitor cell sizes below 1 μm2. In the present work, ferroelectric memory cells with lateral sizes down to 100 nm were fabricated by electron-beam direct writing. Switching of single 100 nm cells was achieved and piezoelectric hysteresis loops were recorded using a scanning probe microscope working in piezoresponse mode.

Vortex Polarization States in Nanoscale Ferroelectric Arrays

Two-dimensional arrays of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanodots were fabricated using pulsed laser deposition through ultrathin anodic aluminum oxide membrane stencil masks. The static distribution of polarization configurations was investigated using in- and out-of-plane piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The observed presence of an in-plane polarization component in nominally (001) oriented PZT suggests the existence of a significant deviation from the regular tetragonal structure that allows the formation of complex core-polarization states. Core-polarization states may indicate the presence of quasi-toroidal polarization ordering. The experimental results are compared with a theoretical model to determine the fingerprint of a vortex polarization state in PFM.

Ferroelectric epitaxial nanocrystals obtained by a self-patterning method

Lead zirconate titanate nanoislands were obtained by a self-patterning method making use of the instability of ultrathin films during high-temperature treatments. After high-temperature annealing, the as-deposited film breaks into islands with a narrow size distribution. The single-crystal nanoislands were studied by scanning and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. They show an epitaxial relationship with the Nb-doped (001) SrTiO3 substrate. The ferroelectric switching of several individual islands was investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy.