The ultrathin limit of improper ferroelectricity.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31811133.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-13474-x and PMC identifier 6897979.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The secondary nature of polarization in improper ferroelectrics promotes functional properties beyond those of conventional ferroelectrics. In technologically relevant ultrathin films, however, the improper ferroelectric behavior remains largely unexplored. Here, we probe the emergence of the coupled improper polarization and primary distortive order parameter in thin films of hexagonal YMnO<sub>3</sub>. Combining state-of-the-art in situ characterization techniques separately addressing the improper ferroelectric state and its distortive driving force, we reveal a pronounced thickness dependence of the improper polarization, which we show to originate from the strong modification of the primary order at epitaxial interfaces. Nanoscale confinement effects on the primary order parameter reduce the temperature of the phase transition, which we exploit to visualize its order-disorder character with atomic resolution. Our results advance the understanding of the evolution of improper ferroelectricity within the confinement of ultrathin films, which is essential for their successful implementation in nanoscale applications.