The ultrathin limit of improper ferroelectricity.

ABSTRACT: The secondary nature of polarization in improper ferroelectrics promotes functional properties beyond those of conventional ferroelectrics. In technologically relevant ultrathin films, however, the improper ferroelectric behavior remains largely unexplored. Here, we probe the emergence of the coupled improper polarization and primary distortive order parameter in thin films of hexagonal YMnO₃. Combining state-of-the-art in situ characterization techniques separately addressing the improper ferroelectric state and its distortive driving force, we reveal a pronounced thickness dependence of the improper polarization, which we show to originate from the strong modification of the primary order at epitaxial interfaces. Nanoscale confinement effects on the primary order parameter red

SUBMITTER: Nordlander J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6897979 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature