Non-Ising and chiral ferroelectric domain walls revealed by nonlinear optical microscopy.

ABSTRACT: The properties of ferroelectric domain walls can significantly differ from those of their parent material. Elucidating their internal structure is essential for the design of advanced devices exploiting nanoscale ferroicity and such localized functional properties. Here, we probe the internal structure of 180° ferroelectric domain walls in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films and lithium tantalate bulk crystals by means of second-harmonic generation microscopy. In both systems, we detect a pronounced second-harmonic signal at the walls. Local polarimetry analysis of this signal combined with numerical modelling reveals the existence of a planar polarization within the walls, with Néel and Bloch-like configurations in PZT and lithium tantalate, respectively. Moreover, we find domain wal

SUBMITTER: Cherifi-Hertel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5472758 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature