Polarization-Modulated Rectification at Ferroelectric Surfaces

Weida Wu, J. R. Guest, Y. Horibe, S. Park, T. Choi, S.-W. Cheong, and M. Bode
Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 217601 – Published 24 May 2010

Abstract

By correlating room temperature conductive atomic force microscopy with low temperature electrostatic force microscopy images of the same sample region, we demonstrate that nanoscale electric conduction between a sharp tip and the surface of ferroelectric HoMnO3 is intrinsically modulated by the polarization of ferroelectric domains. Conductance spectra reveal that the electric conduction is described by polarization-induced Schottky-like rectification at low bias, but dominated by a space-charge limited conduction mechanism at high bias. Our observation demonstrates visualization of ferroelectric domain structure by electric conduction, which may be used for nondestructive readout of nanoscale ferroelectric memories and/or ferroelectric sensors.

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  • Received 10 January 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.217601

©2010 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Weida Wu1,*, J. R. Guest2, Y. Horibe1, S. Park3, T. Choi1, S.-W. Cheong1, and M. Bode2

  • 1Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA
  • 2Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 USA
  • 3Department of Physics, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

  • *wdwu@physics.rutgers.edu

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Vol. 104, Iss. 21 — 28 May 2010

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