%0 Journal Article
%A Wei, Xiankui
%A Yang, Yurong
%A McGilly, Leo J.
%A Feigl, Ludwig
%A Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal
%A Jia, Chun-Lin
%A Bellaiche, Laurent
%A Setter, Nava
%T Flexible polarization rotation at the ferroelectric/metal interface as a seed for domain nucleation
%J Physical review / B
%V 98
%N 2
%@ 2469-9950
%C Woodbury, NY
%I Inst.
%M FZJ-2018-04613
%P 020102
%D 2018
%X The absence of a realistic polarization screening scenario at the pivotal ferroelectric-metal interface impedes the widespread application of low-dimensional ferroelectric heterostructures. Employing quantitative atom-resolved (scanning) transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations, we report that structural and chemical reconstruction universally lowers symmetry of the ferroelectric-metal interface. Irrespective of structural and strain mismatch, chemical termination and diffusion, polar catastrophe, and electrode type, the polarization screening is executed by a flexible polarization rotation at several-unit-cell-thick interfaces. By combining nanoscale and atomic-scale microscopy investigations, our ex situ electric-field biasing experiments reveal that the monoclinically distorted interfaces may act as seeds to nucleate new domains during the polarization switching process. These findings suggest that the long-standing fatigue issue is expected to be overcome by interface modification engineering at the monolayer scale.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000439973300001
%R 10.1103/PhysRevB.98.020102
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/850853