Charged domain walls in BaTiO3 single-crystals

Recently observed properties of charged ferroelectric domain walls (CDWs) make these structures promising for application in future electronics. It was demonstrated experimentally that the quasi two-dimensional electron gas is present at head-to-head CDWs [1]. The CDWs are therefore good conductors that can be moved by an external electric field. As suggested by theory [2] and experiment [3] CDWs with very low spacing may cause the enhancement of piezoelectric and dielectric properties. However, the problem of controlled regular growth and formation of CDWs is not well understood. Present talk is dedicated to experimental study of CDWs in BaTiO₃ single-crystals. The screening mechanisms, preparation methods, process of formation, identification, stability and stabilization of CDWs will be discussed.

[1] Sluka T., Tagantsev A., Bednyakov P., Setter N. Free-electron gas at charged domain walls in insulating BaTiO₃. Nat. Commun 4, 1808 (2013).
[2] Sluka, T., Tagantsev, A. K., Damjanovic, D., Gureev, M., and Setter, N. Enhanced electromechanical response of ferroelectrics due to charged domain walls. Nat. Commun 3, 748 (2012).
[3] Wada S., Yako K., Kakemoto H., Tsurumi T., Kiguchi T. Enhanced piezoelectric properties of barium titanate single crystals with different engineered-domain sizes. J. Appl. Phys. 98, 014109 (2005).