Ultrafast Photovoltaic Response in Ferroelectric Nanolayers

Dan Daranciang et al.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 087601 – Published 23 February 2012

Abstract

We show that light drives large-amplitude structural changes in thin films of the prototypical ferroelectric PbTiO3 via direct coupling to its intrinsic photovoltaic response. Using time-resolved x-ray scattering to visualize atomic displacements on femtosecond time scales, photoinduced changes in the unit-cell tetragonality are observed. These are driven by the motion of photogenerated free charges within the ferroelectric and can be simply explained by a model including both shift and screening currents, associated with the displacement of electrons first antiparallel to and then parallel to the ferroelectric polarization direction.

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  • Received 3 August 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.087601

© 2012 American Physical Society

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Vol. 108, Iss. 8 — 24 February 2012

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