Direct observation of nanoscale dynamics of ferroelectric degradation
10.1038/s41467-021-22355-1
Crossref journal-article
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Nature Communications (297)
Abstract

AbstractFailure of polarization reversal, i.e., ferroelectric degradation, induced by cyclic electric loadings in ferroelectric materials, has been a long-standing challenge that negatively impacts the application of ferroelectrics in devices where reliability is critical. It is generally believed that space charges or injected charges dominate the ferroelectric degradation. However, the physics behind the phenomenon remains unclear. Here, using in-situ biasing transmission electron microscopy, we discover change of charge distribution in thin ferroelectrics during cyclic electric loadings. Charge accumulation at domain walls is the main reason of the formation of c domains, which are less responsive to the applied electric field. The rapid growth of the frozen c domains leads to the ferroelectric degradation. This finding gives insights into the nature of ferroelectric degradation in nanodevices, and reveals the role of the injected charges in polarization reversal.

Bibliography

Huang, Q., Chen, Z., Cabral, M. J., Wang, F., Zhang, S., Li, F., Li, Y., Ringer, S. P., Luo, H., Mai, Y.-W., & Liao, X. (2021). Direct observation of nanoscale dynamics of ferroelectric degradation. Nature Communications, 12(1).

Authors 11
  1. Qianwei Huang (first)
  2. Zibin Chen (additional)
  3. Matthew J. Cabral (additional)
  4. Feifei Wang (additional)
  5. Shujun Zhang (additional)
  6. Fei Li (additional)
  7. Yulan Li (additional)
  8. Simon P. Ringer (additional)
  9. Haosu Luo (additional)
  10. Yiu-Wing Mai (additional)
  11. Xiaozhou Liao (additional)
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Dates
Type When
Created 4 years, 4 months ago (April 7, 2021, 6:12 a.m.)
Deposited 2 years, 6 months ago (Jan. 30, 2023, 5:04 p.m.)
Indexed 2 days ago (Aug. 19, 2025, 6:41 a.m.)
Issued 4 years, 4 months ago (April 7, 2021)
Published 4 years, 4 months ago (April 7, 2021)
Published Online 4 years, 4 months ago (April 7, 2021)
Funders 0

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@article{Huang_2021, title={Direct observation of nanoscale dynamics of ferroelectric degradation}, volume={12}, ISSN={2041-1723}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22355-1}, DOI={10.1038/s41467-021-22355-1}, number={1}, journal={Nature Communications}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Huang, Qianwei and Chen, Zibin and Cabral, Matthew J. and Wang, Feifei and Zhang, Shujun and Li, Fei and Li, Yulan and Ringer, Simon P. and Luo, Haosu and Mai, Yiu-Wing and Liao, Xiaozhou}, year={2021}, month=apr }