Subsecond optically controlled domain switching in freestanding ferroelectric BaTiO3 membrane
Subhajit Pal
(School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London)
Lan-Tien Hsu
(Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS) and Center for Interface-Dominated High Performance Materials (ZGH), Ruhr-University Bochum)
Haoying Sun
(National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University)
Sheng-Han Teng
(Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS) and Center for Interface-Dominated High Performance Materials (ZGH), Ruhr-University Bochum)
Vivek Dwij
(Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)
Emanuele Palladino
(School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London)
Yuefeng Nie
(National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University)
Samuel John
(Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)
S. S. Prabhu
(Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)
Anna Grünebohm
(Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS) and Center for Interface-Dominated High Performance Materials (ZGH), Ruhr-University Bochum)
Joe Briscoe
(School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London)
Abstract The quest to develop energy-efficient and fast optoelectronic control of memory devices is essential. In this respect, ferroelectric materials are gaining tremendous importance in information and communication technology. Here, we demonstrate light-controlled polarisation switching on a subsecond timescale ( <500 ms) in a freestanding BaTiO3 membrane, which is nearly 1200 times faster than the previously reported response using a BaTiO3 thin film. We reveal the potential of optically controlled computing by demonstrating the associated resistance change in the membrane as a result of the polarisation reversal induced by illumination. By combining theoretical and experimental studies, we demonstrate that the imprint effect coupled with the reduced energy barrier of domain wall motion influences the optically controlled domain switching response in the membrane. It is established that the fast domain switching response in the freestanding film compared to the clamped film is attributed to the removal of substrate-induced strain and the subsequent increase in domain wall velocity. Additionally, ferroelectric fatigue behaviour is not observed in our system even after 75 electrical and optical cycles, demonstrating the robustness of the observed phenomenon. Our work provides a step forward towards wireless sensing and dual optical and electronic control for computing.