Generating tunable and stable topological ferroelectric structures with smart design tip trajectories
Scientific Achievement
A novel nanolithography method was developed to enable the generation and in situ readout of a myriad of nanometric topological ferroelectric structures. The local sample polarization can be tuned on-demand to allow for the stabilization of highly frustrated polar arrangements with new functional properties.
Significance and Impact
The stabilization of polar topological states on-demand in unspecific ferroelectric surfaces is a long-sought after goal as it opens a new avenue for the use of ferroelectrics in multistate-device architectures and neuromorphic computing.
Research Details
- By designing smart scan paths followed by a biased AFM tip in contact with a polar sample, we can locally rearrange the dipoles in any desired orientation.
- The process is automated and highly tunable allowing for multiple structures to be generated, edited, read, and erased at a fast pace.
- Our approach enables the study of the local switching mechanisms in ferroelectric films
Checa et al., Nature Nanotechnology (2024) DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01792-1
Work was performed at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences.
