Skip to main content

Self-assembly and properties of domain walls in BiFeO3 layers grown via molecular-beam epitaxy

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

Antonio Mei
Yongjian Tang
Jürgen Schubert
Debdeep Jena
Huili Xing
Daniel Ralph
Darrell Schlom

Abstract

Bismuth ferrite layers, ∼200-nm-thick, are deposited on SrRuO3-coated DyScO3(110)o substrates in a step-flow growth regime via adsorption-controlled molecular-beam epitaxy. Structural characterization shows the films to be phase pure with substrate-limited mosaicity (0.012° x-ray diffraction ω-rocking curve widths). The film surfaces are atomically smooth (0.2 nm root-mean-square height fluctuations) and consist of 260-nm-wide [11̄1]o-oriented terraces and unit-cell-tall (0.4 nm) step edges. The combination of electrostatic and symmetry boundary conditions promotes two monoclinically distorted BiFeO3 ferroelectric variants, which self-assemble into a pattern with unprecedentedly coherent periodicity, consisting of 145 ± 2-nm-wide stripe domains separated by [001]o-oriented 71° domain walls. The walls exhibit electrical rectification and enhanced conductivity. © 2019 Author(s).

Date Published

Journal

AIP Publishing

Volume

7

Issue

7

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85068474786&doi=10.1063%2f1.5103244&partnerID=40&md5=a40b388a9eb3f1fd997e56939b6e1ef5

DOI

10.1063/1.5103244

Funding Source

ECCS 1740286
2758.003
1338010

Download citation