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Simultaneous dynamic characterization of charge and structural motion during ferroelectric switching
(2017)
Monitoring structural changes in ferroelectric thin films during electric field induced polarization switching is important for a full microscopic understanding of the coupled motion of charges, atoms, and domainwalls in ferroelectric nanostructures. We combine standard ferroelectric test sequences of switching and nonswitching electrical pulses with time-resolved x-ray diffraction to investigate the structural response of a nanoscale Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O-3 ferroelectric oxide capacitor upon charging, discharging, and polarization reversal. We observe that a nonlinear piezoelectric response of the ferroelectric layer develops on a much longer time scale than the RC time constant of the device. The complex atomic motion during the ferroelectric polarization reversal starts with a contraction of the lattice, whereas the expansive piezoelectric response sets in after considerable charge flow due to the applied voltage pulses on the electrodes of the capacitor. Our simultaneous measurements on a working device elucidate and visualize the complex interplay of charge flow and structural motion and challenges theoretical modeling.
We study gadolinium thin films as a model system for ferromagnets with negative thermal expansion. Ultrashort laser pulses heat up the electronic subsystem and we follow the transient strain via ultrafast x-ray diffraction. In terms of a simple Grueneisen approach, the strain is decomposed into two contributions proportional to the thermal energy of spin and phonon subsystems. Our analysis reveals that upon femtosecond laser excitation, phonons and spins can be driven out of thermal equilibrium for several nanoseconds.