Domain wall conductivity in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO3 thin films

D. J. Kim; J. G. Connell; S. S.A. Seo; A. Gruverman

doi:10.1088/0957-4484/27/15/155705

Domain wall conductivity in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO₃ thin films

D. J. Kim
, J. G. Connell
, S. S.A. Seo
, A. Gruverman

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although enhanced conductivity of ferroelectric domain boundaries has been found in BiFeO₃ and Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ films as well as hexagonal rare-earth manganite single crystals, the mechanism of the domain wall conductivity is still under debate. Using conductive atomic force microscopy, we observe enhanced conductance at the electrically-neutral domain walls in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO₃ thin films where the structure and polarization direction are strongly constrained along the c-axis. This result indicates that domain wall conductivity in ferroelectric rare-earth manganites is not limited to charged domain walls. We show that the observed conductivity in the TbMnO₃ films is governed by a single conduction mechanism, namely, the back-to-back Schottky diodes tuned by the segregation of defects.

Original language	English
Article number	155705
Journal	Nanotechnology
Volume	27
Issue number	15
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/15/155705
State	Published - Mar 2 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Funding

Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was supported by the US Department of Energy, Materials Sciences Division, under Award No. DE-SC0004876 (conductive atomic force microscopy characterization) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Nebraska Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) under Grant No. DMR-1420645 (modeling). The work (sample preparation) at the University of Kentucky was supported by the NSF through Grant No. DMR-1454200, No. EPS-0814194 (the Center for Advanced Materials), and by the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation with the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation through Grant Agreement No. KSEF-148-502-14-328. DJK was partly supported by IBS-R009-G1.

Funders	Funder number
Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation
U.S. Department of Energy
Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering	DE-SC0004876
Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation	KSEF-148-502-14-328, IBS-R009-G1
National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program	1454200, 1420645, 0814194
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University	DMR-1420645, DMR-1454200, EPS-0814194

Keywords

back-to-back Schottky barrier
conductive atomic force microscopy
domain wall conductivity
ferroelectric
hexagonal manganite
semiconducting

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Bioengineering
General Chemistry
General Materials Science
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Access to Document

10.1088/0957-4484/27/15/155705

Cite this

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title = "Domain wall conductivity in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO3 thin films",

abstract = "Although enhanced conductivity of ferroelectric domain boundaries has been found in BiFeO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films as well as hexagonal rare-earth manganite single crystals, the mechanism of the domain wall conductivity is still under debate. Using conductive atomic force microscopy, we observe enhanced conductance at the electrically-neutral domain walls in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO3 thin films where the structure and polarization direction are strongly constrained along the c-axis. This result indicates that domain wall conductivity in ferroelectric rare-earth manganites is not limited to charged domain walls. We show that the observed conductivity in the TbMnO3 films is governed by a single conduction mechanism, namely, the back-to-back Schottky diodes tuned by the segregation of defects.",

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AU - Connell, J. G.

AU - Seo, S. S.A.

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N2 - Although enhanced conductivity of ferroelectric domain boundaries has been found in BiFeO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films as well as hexagonal rare-earth manganite single crystals, the mechanism of the domain wall conductivity is still under debate. Using conductive atomic force microscopy, we observe enhanced conductance at the electrically-neutral domain walls in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO3 thin films where the structure and polarization direction are strongly constrained along the c-axis. This result indicates that domain wall conductivity in ferroelectric rare-earth manganites is not limited to charged domain walls. We show that the observed conductivity in the TbMnO3 films is governed by a single conduction mechanism, namely, the back-to-back Schottky diodes tuned by the segregation of defects.

AB - Although enhanced conductivity of ferroelectric domain boundaries has been found in BiFeO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films as well as hexagonal rare-earth manganite single crystals, the mechanism of the domain wall conductivity is still under debate. Using conductive atomic force microscopy, we observe enhanced conductance at the electrically-neutral domain walls in semiconducting hexagonal ferroelectric TbMnO3 thin films where the structure and polarization direction are strongly constrained along the c-axis. This result indicates that domain wall conductivity in ferroelectric rare-earth manganites is not limited to charged domain walls. We show that the observed conductivity in the TbMnO3 films is governed by a single conduction mechanism, namely, the back-to-back Schottky diodes tuned by the segregation of defects.

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