Reversible optical control of multiferroicity in BiFeO<sub>3</sub> thin films

ORAL

Abstract

Nowadays, increasing technology interest has focused on the optical control of non-volatile functional units. In this work, we present the deterministic switching/modulation of the ferroelectric and (anti)ferromagnetic orders at ambient temperature through laser illumination.
With well-tuned laser illumination, the local temperature of illuminated region increases, resulting in a significant flexoelectric field at the boundaries of illuminate and non-illuminated region. The induced flexoelectric field is then adopted to modulate the local ferroelectricity of BiFeO3 thin film, generating a wide spectrum of tunable domain structures. To verify the role of flexoelectric effect, phase field simulation is processed to simulate the correlation between the as-grown and light induced domain architecture. Due to the fact that BiFeO3 thin film has its ferroelectricity coupled strongly with inherent antiferromagnetism/ferromagnetism, the optical modulation of ferroelectric order gives rise to corresponding alteration of the antiferromagnetism/ferromagnetism as well. Furthermore, we show that the domain conductivity and piezoresponse enhancement could also be turned on and off via laser illumination.

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Presenters

  • Jan-Chi Yang

    • National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

Authors

  • Yi-De Liou

    • Physics, National Cheng Chung University
    • Physics, National Cheng Kung University
    • National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
    • Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University

  • Yen-Lin Huang

    • National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

  • Ryan Thomas Hart

    • University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

  • Yuan-Chih Wu

    • Physics, National Cheng Chung University
    • National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

  • Rajesh V Chopdekar

    • University of California, Davis
    • Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Davis
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
    • LBNL Advanced Light Source

  • Valanoor Nagarajan

    • University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia

  • Ying-Hao Chu

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; and Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University
    • National Chiao Tung University
    • Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University
    • National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

  • Yi-Chun Chen

    • Physics, National Cheng Chung University
    • Physics, National Cheng Kung University
    • National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
    • Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University

  • Ye Cao

    • University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

  • Jan-Chi Yang

    • National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan